Criminally Good
by Valres
Summary: When Jaune got turned away from Beacon, he thought he was a failure. He'd wanted to be a Huntsman, he wanted to be strong, to protect his loved ones. That dream was crushed before it was ever given a chance to begin. Now, though, things are different. Thanks to Roman Torchwick, he's found one thing he's good at: crime.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, this is awkward. I don't really even know what to say here. I mean, this is my first fic, and really my first time publishing anything that might be read by the masses of people on the internet. Oh god, you're all going to judge me, aren't you? Welp, before my confidence leaves me and I lose the nerve to publish this at all, welcome to Criminally Good.**

**This is mostly a crime drama, following Jaune as he dives into the criminal underworld. I'm sure that I've messed up somewhere and that Jaune is incredibly OOC, and that most of the characters are, but who cares? You might find it interesting regardless, I know I like where I'm pushing the story to go.**

**Well, my rambling and awkward attempts at being a vague conversationalist aside, let's get right into the fic, and your judgments of me and my writing. This'll be fun, right?**

* * *

[Chapter 1]

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late?"

The older man behind the counter sounded absolutely terrified. "Please, j-just take my lien and leave…"

"Shhh, shhh. Calm down, we're not here for your money." I stood ramrod straight. _Of course, I'm in a dust shop that is getting robbed. Why was I even in a dust shop? It's not like I have weapons that use dust. Or a weapon at all for that matter._ "Grab the dust."

I glanced down to the short girl flipping through a weapons magazine next to me. She had headphones on, completely oblivious to what was going on around her. _Fantastic, really. She doesn't even know what's happening._ I felt a pair of eyes drilling a hole into the back of my head. I swallowed nervously and looked over my shoulder.

I saw a rather tall man dressed rather fashionably in white and black, spinning a cane idly in his hand as he approached. His lips were twisted into a saccharine grin as he eyed me closely. "You know, it's dangerous for a pair of kids to be out so late. Never know when something unfortunate might happen."

My mouth felt dry. I knew that this guy was robbing the shop, and probably wasn't intent on letting either me or this girl go without an issue. I had to try though, right? "Heh… uh, well… I mean…" _Great, fantastic job, you moron. Way to sweet talk your way out of the problem._

"Come on, kid. If I were going to hurt you, I'd have done it by now. Why don't you do me the fantastic favor of taking Little Red there with you on your way out. You walk away, I walk away, everybody's happy." The man paused to take a puff off his cigar. "I'll even leave you both with your lien." He smiled charismatically as he leaned on his cane.

_Okay, Jaune. Deep breath. He just offered you a way out, and a chance to get an innocent out with you. You got this. Deep breath, and go._ I offered up what I thought was a confident smile, though in reality it probably came off as more forced, strained, and terrified than I'd meant it to. "I-I, th-thank you?" The criminal looked thoroughly amused, though made no move to leave.

I looked back to the short, crimson cloaked girl. I began to chew on the inside of my cheek. _So, what's the plan here? You don't know who this girl is. She's not even acknowledged your existence since she entered… Then again, she hasn't acknowledged the robbery going on at all._ I sighed, tapping the girl on the shoulder. She looked back with a curious gaze, tilting her head slightly as she looked at me.

I tapped at my ear in attempt to tell her to take off the headphones. She nodded and brought them to rest around her neck. "What's up?" She asked with a cheerful smile.

I coughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of my neck. _You gotta get her out of here, Jaune. Better start thinking fast._ "Well, uh," I stopped a second to look around the shop. Most of the men in dark suits were packing up their take from the shop. "The, uh, t-the owner is c-closing up a b-bit early. H-he's asked us to leave so he can f-finish up." _Genius plan, Jaune. It's not like there's at least half a dozen other people in this store with you two, no not at all._

The girl frowned and closed her magazine, putting it back on the shelf where she got it from. "If he's closing up, why does the shop seem so packed?" There was no accusation in her voice, which caught me off guard.

Behind me I heard the head thief stifle a chuckle, seeming to enjoy listening to me fail miserably at this simple of a job. I pursed my lips and looked around. I had heard about a string of robberies going on, almost all of it dust related. "Well, t-these are his security… I mean, b-better safe than sorry, wh-what with all of the d-dust robberies happening in town…"

The small girl nodded at my story, smiling cheerfully back at me. "Makes sense. Have to protect your livelihood and all that." I let out a breath that I wasn't even aware I'd been holding. I turned to look at the well-dressed thief who shrugged, taking a puff off his cigar and moving back to the front counter. I felt her tap me on the arm, getting my attention again. "We should go, yeah?" I nodded wordlessly.

As the two of us made our way out of the store, I felt the criminal I had spoken to watching us. The door swung shut, and the small girl turned back to look at me with a smile. "So, why were you in a dust shop? I mean, you don't really look like you have a weapon that needs dust. You don't even look like you have a weapon at all… Ohhh, let me guess, it's something super compact that hides in your outfit, isn't it? Can I see it? Please? I'll show you mine!"

Before I had an opportunity to answer any of her questions, the diminutive girl produced a scythe that was taller than she was, red and silver in design. "This is my baby, Crescent Rose. I made her myself, a scythe/ high impact sniper rifle combination." I blinked several times, not at all sure of what to say in response to that.

"I, well… I mean, that's cool." I mumbled out.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm! Now, show me how you hide yours in your outfit. My sister does something similar, hers look like simple bracelets though deploy into a pair of awesome shotgun gauntlets."

I shuffled awkwardly, looking away from the girl for a moment. "I, uh, well… I don't really have my weapon at the moment… It's in a shop at the moment…" I managed out.

"Ohhh, getting it repaired, or upgraded then? That's cool. I personally don't trust shops like that to touch my baby, but if you're comfortable with it, then that's cool too." She folded her weapon back into its portable form and stowed it away on her back.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Getting it upgraded. Let's go with that…" I trailed off. _Smooth, Jaune. Smooth._

The girl smiled and shrugged. She stopped to look around the street. I had steered her away from the street that the shop was on, not wanting that criminal to find us standing outside. I wasn't one to tempt fate like that, no thanks.

"Oh, crap! I never introduced myself, I'm Ruby Rose." She smiled warmly at me.

I nodded, rocking back on my heels. "Yeah, uh, nice to meet you, Ruby. My name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls right off the tongue. Ladies love it." I internally cringed at the lame line I just delivered.

Ruby giggled and tilted her head to the side slightly. "Do they really?"

I laughed nervously and shrugged. "I mean, well… I guess? I don't know, i-it's just something I say…"

A loud, low rumbling came from down the street, as well as a single headlight. I looked up, shading my eyes from the light that had blinded me. The vehicle came to a stop right next to us, revealing a much taller girl to be the rider of the motorbike. She looked me over up and down with a frown visible on her lips.

She dismounted and took off her helmet. Her long blonde hair seemed to be glowing in the night, seemingly outshining the overhead streetlamp. "Ruby, who is this?" She asked, staring me down as she approached. Her eyes were blood red. I found myself backing away, glancing over my shoulder. _I could make a run for it. I might be able to drop into an alley and lose her if I have to._

"Yang, leave him alone! That's my new friend, Jaune. I met him earlier tonight in a dust shop." Ruby approached Yang's side and tugged at her wrist. The tall blonde gave me one last glare and relaxed. Her eyes that had once been red turned to a rather pleasant shade of lilac, and her hair seemed to dim.

Yang looked me over once again, shaking her head. "Whatever. Ruby, we've gotta head home. Dad's gonna lose it if we're out any later than we already are." She turned away and walked back to her bike. Ruby followed the tall blonde, looking over her shoulder and offering a wave to me. I nodded and waved right back.

I watched the blonde kick the bike into a low rumble, turning into a roar as it sped off into the night, leaving me to my thoughts. I sighed and looked around. _Well, now what? You wasted the whole evening standing around a dust shop, and then avoiding getting robbed by the grace of a criminal._ I found myself wandering aimlessly, as I tended to do most nights anyway. I didn't have anywhere to stay. _Well, I could admit defeat and go back home. You know they'd welcome you back with open arms. Open arms that'd beat you senseless for stealing, and then selling your father's family sword, but open arms none the less._

I sighed and shook my head. I wasn't going home. I found myself stood before a large building that proclaimed itself simply as 'The Club'. _Heh, creative naming by the owner. Bet he's got a load of wit._ I knew I had some lien left in my pocket, and who knows. It might help to sit down and have a drink or two. Might be that I'll clear my head and figure out where I'm going and what I'm doing after this.

I pushed into the building, and it was quiet by a club's standard. The music still blared, though the dance floor wasn't literally wall to wall bodies, and the bar staff actually moved about, delivering drinks to people sitting at booths and tables. I made my way to the bar and took a seat.

It didn't take long for the barkeep to come along. He was tall and broad shouldered. He didn't dress like most of the staff, sticking to a black best and white dress shirt, rather than the simple black suits of the rest.

"Aren't you a bit young to be drinking, kid?" The barkeep asked me, looking me up and down.

I sighed and shrugged a shoulder. I glanced back to see one of the staff walking past. The man was dressed in a black suit, red tie, and red sunglasses, despite the fact that it was night, and that they were inside. _Wait a minute, I've seen that getup… Oh shit._ I looked back to the large barkeep who had a brow perked at me, waiting for an answer.

"I… I mean…" The barkeep sighed and looked over to one of his staff members, jerking his head in my direction. The suited man approached casually, hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, kid. I'm gonna have to escort you out, we're not in the habit of serving minors here." He looked impassive behind his red shades. I sighed and got to my feet. The man nodded and started moving towards the door. _Can't even get a drink. 'Not in the habit of serving minors', but perfectly willing to rob a dust shop. Sounds logical to me._

The doors burst open, and a familiar face greeted me. It was that of the criminal who had robbed the dust shop not but thirty minutes ago. The man escorting me paused, and I froze in place as the criminal locked eyes with me. His gaze slithered to the man escorting me. "Jerry, buddy, what's going on? How's the divorce coming along?"

My escort sighed and shook his head. "My name's not Jerry…" _Heh, Not-Jerry it is then._

"Of course it is, Jerry, quit pulling my leg." The criminal took a puff of his cigar as he looked Not-Jerry up and down. Not-Jerry grumbled something to himself. The well-dressed criminal leaned forward. "What was that, Jerry? I couldn't quite catch that."

Not-Jerry looked up to the man. "You're an asshole, Roman."

The criminal – Roman, I guess – chuckled and nodded. "You are right, Jerry. I _am_ an asshole. How astute of you." He shifted his gaze back to me then. "Now, Jerry, what's this fine young man here done to get thrown out?"

"He's a minor. Junior told me to have him escorted out." Not-Jerry said, glancing back at me.

Roman laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, that's all well and good, but I'll take him off your hands. He's with me." He took a puff off his cigar and rocked back on his heels. "Now do me a favor, Jerry, go run and tell Junior that I'm here." He waved Not-Jerry off and then turned to me. "As for you, kid, can't say as you strike me the type to frequent shady clubs. Then again, you did get almost thrown out. You're welcome, by the way."

I stood there, staring at Roman. He'd already shown me kindness in letting me go completely free from that robbery. Now he's stopped me from getting thrown out of the club. Something didn't seem right, not at all. I didn't like it. Roman pushed past me, moving to take a seat at the bar. He looked back to me and perked a brow. "C'mon, kid. I'm the one who's let you stay in the club. It'd be rude not to have a drink after I went through the effort." I coughed awkwardly, scratching the back of my head and moved to join Roman at the bar.

He had hooked his cane on the lip of the bar, letting it hang freely as he leaned forward. The same rather large barkeep who had approached me earlier came to be standing in front of myself and Roman. "Kid, I thought I had you thrown out." He said to me, cleaning out a glass absently. I doubted that it needed cleaning, just something to keep himself busy I suppose.

"You tried, Junior. Though the kid is with me now, so you'll serve him." Roman took a puff off his cigar, flicking the ash onto the bar top. Junior's brow twitched at that, though he said nothing. "Now, onto some business." Roman produced an envelope and slid it across the bar to Junior. "It was a pleasure doing business, Junior." The barkeep – Junior – looked up at Roman, and then to me, and back to the envelope. He took it and nodded.

"You sure it's alright to be talking with this kid here?" Junior's gaze was pointedly focused on me. Roman looked over and rubbed his chin idly, looking me up and down.

"Mmmm." Roman seemed lost in thought. "Perhaps you're right, Junior. We can discuss business later. I'd like to have a conversation with the kid." Junior shrugged a shoulder and made to leave. "Though, Junior, do bring me a couple of glasses and some top shelf whiskey." Junior rolled his eyes and left to bring Roman what he'd asked for.

I fidgeted on my stool anxiously, unwilling to look at Roman. Junior returned with the glasses and a bottle. I heard Roman pour some into both glasses after Junior left. "You know, kid, I can do this all night." I finally shifted my gaze from the bar top to Roman. The man looked relaxed, taking a sip from his glass. I let my eyes shift to my own untouched glass. "Go on, kid. I didn't get two glasses just for the shits and giggles."

I nodded, taking the drink hesitantly in hand. I took a mouthful, swallowing quickly. The burn hit me and I found myself coughing violently, setting the glass down as I felt tears come at the corner of my eyes. When I drank, I went for fruity crap, something to mask the awful taste of the alcohol. Roman was laughing next to me, shaking his head.

"First time around the block there, kid? You'll get used to it, eventually. Call it an acquired taste, I suppose." Roman took another sip of his drink and then set it down, leaning against the bar as he turned to be facing me. "You gonna say anything tonight, or are you too star-struck at meeting the one and only Roman Torchwick, criminal mastermind of Vale?"

I found myself chewing on the inside of my cheek as I stared him down. "I, uh, well, I mean… I don't really… I don't know what to say, I guess?" Roman chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on, kid. If you want an autograph, all you have to do is ask. I don't bite, I promise." Roman's lips were curled into a grin as he watched me shift uncomfortably. "Here, how about this, why don't you give me your name, since you know mine. Sound fair?"

"I, well… Sure? The name's Jaune. Er, Jaune Arc." I said timidly, taking another swig of the glass. It still burnt on the way down, though I wasn't coughing this time. Roman's smile faltered ever so slightly, then returning to its previous state.

"Jaune Arc, you say? Well, Jaune, I've got a few questions to ask, and we can be on our way. Consider it you paying me back for the drinks." Roman posed, taking another slow drink of his whiskey as he watched me. "I suppose the first thing is why're you in Vale, Jaune? You grow up here, or you from out of town?"

"I'm from out of town… Just some backwater middle of nowhere, really. As far as why I came… Well, I wanted to attend Beacon and become a huntsman, just like my dad."

Roman narrowed his eyes. "Wanted, you say? I take it that didn't go well for you, then?"

I laughed bitterly. "Yeah, you could say that." I took another drink from my glass, finishing off the contents. Roman poured me another. "Beacon turned me away, told me I didn't have what it takes."

"Alright, sure. Happens to the best of us, don't always succeed at first. Any reason you haven't gone back then?"

"Why haven't I gone back? You know, Roman, great damn question. I haven't gone back because I'm scared." I paused to take another drink, letting out a slow sigh. "I'm scared to face my family after I stole from them, ran away to do what they all told me I'd fail at, and because they were right. They told me that I'd not make it at Beacon, that I wasn't cut out for it."

Roman rubbed at his chin as he watched me. I felt like shouting, I felt like breaking something. I didn't care what, really, I just wanted to do _something_ other than sit here and be a failure. "You said you stole from them. I'm sure they'd forgive you if you just went back and apologized."

I snorted and shook my head, draining my glass for the second time. Roman filled it once more. His first wasn't even half empty. "Doubtful. Not only did I steal almost all of the lien we had in savings for a rainy day or whatever else we might need it for, but I took my father's sword." Roman perked a brow at that. "It's a family heirloom, been in the Arc line for… Shit, I don't know, generations."

Roman frowned. "I fail to see the problem. Just go back home with the sword."

I laughed again, shaking my head. "That's just fucking it, Roman. I sold it. I don't have the sword anymore. And maybe, just maybe, they'd forgive me. But you know what, I don't deserve it." I took another long drink from my glass. "Not only am I a liar and a thief, I'm a goddamn failure. And my family knew it. They knew I was a failure, that I wasn't gonna amount to anything of importance." I was vaguely aware of the effect that the whiskey was having. Everything felt a bit hazy, though I felt warm.

_Why are you telling him all of this? It's not like he cares, or can do anything about it._ Part of my mind pointed out to me. _Yeah, he doesn't care, and I don't give a damn. It feels good to just vent, to get it out. Maybe once I've gotten the frustration out of my system, I can set out to become something._

Roman drummed his fingers against the bar top as he took a drink. He tilted his head slightly as he eyed me over. "A liar and a thief. Wonder why that sounds familiar… Oh wait! You're talking to the king of liars and thieves, not to mention crooks and other general criminal elements."

"What's your point, Roman?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the kingpin.

Roman's lips curled into a grin as he finished his whiskey. "Why, I'm glad you asked, Jaune. I am a liar, a cheat, a crook, and a thief. The difference between the both of us is one thing. I'm not a failure, nor do I see myself as one. Society might label me as one, they might see what I do as an admission of failure to do what I want through legal means."

I finished off my glass. Roman didn't move to refill it, so I reached out and poured myself a rather shaky glass of whiskey. _He does have a point. Society labels him a failure because of society's view of his methods. Yet, he does what he sets out to do, does that not make him a success by nature? Doesn't society failing to stop them make them the failures in this image?_

"That could hardly be the case. See, I took the easy route, that of least resistance. I could have spent years and years of my life toiling away to become rich, powerful, and respected. Instead, I took the fast route. Society hates me, they find me a menace, but that's only because they can't control my success. I operate outside of their rules and regulations. Does that make me any less of a success?" Roman asked, his eyes locked onto mine. I shook my head. Roman's grin could've split his face in two. "Exactly. I am a success, and you are not. Not yet, at least."

_Jaune, you do know that he's a stereotypical bad-guy, right? He's a criminal kingpin. You don't want to become a criminal, you never did! You wanted to become a hero, to be the one to defend the people!_ One part of my mind argued. _Yeah, you wanted to be a hero. See how far that got you? Absolutely nowhere. Your desire to be a hero didn't stop you from stealing from family. Get this as well, remember that robbery? You were damn near an accessory to it, covering for the robbery and claiming it was security. You helped to protect an innocent, and you did it while breaking the law._ Another part argued in return.

I met Roman's gaze once more, the man held his grin still. "All you've got to do, Jaune, is make your own success. Who gives a shit if society tells you that you're a failure? They've been telling me that for years, yet here I am, practically on top of the world." I found myself nodding along with Roman, a small smile creeping on my lips. _This is a bad idea._ The ethical side of my brain called out.

"You're right, Roman. You're absolutely right." I took another long drink from my glass, finishing it off. I had stopped counting how many I'd had a while ago, and that was probably a bad thing, but oh well.

Roman poured me another glass. "Now I've got an offer for you, Jaune. One of a lifetime." I nodded, tilting my head slightly with a smile curling on my lips. "Why don't you come and work for me? I can teach you everything you need to know, and then some. Alone, you might become a good criminal. With me, you'll become a great one."

I chuckled and nodded. "You've got a deal, Roman. You've got a deal." I raised my glass and clinked it with his. _This sounds like the start to a very profitable, and beneficial relationship._

[-/-]

I awoke with a hair-splitting headache, wanting nothing more than to crawl under the covers and die quietly, if only to ditch the headache. _I am never drinking that much again. Period. End of story._ I rolled over onto my stomach, covering my head with the cool side of the pillow. I thought for a brief moment that I'd be able to go back to sleep.

Oh, the fool that I was.

Not but thirty seconds later, a series of loud thumps against my door could be heard, along with the voice of my new employer. "Rise and shine, kid. We've got work to do." His voice was muffled through the door, making it all that much easier to ignore. Roman was silent for a time, then I heard rather quiet words being said by him. I couldn't make out a thing he said, only that he was talking to someone.

My door remained closed, and I thought, if only for a moment, that there was a merciful god out there.

Twice, I was made a fool.

Rather suddenly, I had blankets ripped off the bed, and was met with a kick to the gut, sending me tumbling out of the bed, clutching at my stomach. I growled and glared up at the perpetrator, expecting to find Roman. Instead, I found a rather short girl standing on my bed, a parasol in hand as she looked down at me with what could only be called a sadistic grin. _Who the hell…?_

Roman entered the room with a small smile playing on his lips, taking a draw off his cigar. "Well, I see you two have been introduced. Jaune, that's Neo. She's a…" Roman trailed off for a moment as he looked at her. "We'll call her my partner."

I looked between the girl who couldn't be all that much older than I am, if that, and Roman. _Damn, Roman, you sure like 'em young don't you._ "Right… Sure, why not, I guess…" I sat up, rubbing at my temples that felt like someone was attempting to beat a hole through them. "Is there any real reason that I was thrown so violently from my bed?" I asked, glaring at Neo still.

The girl tilted her head to the side slightly, grinned sadistically – _She's definitely nuts, Jaune. This is what you signed up for._ – and shook her head. I looked then to Roman with a perked brow. "What, kid. I banged on your door and told you to get up. When you didn't respond, I thought I might let Neo have a try."

"You… You knew she'd do _something_ violent, didn't you?" I asked with venom in my voice.

"At least I told her she couldn't stab you, kid. I dunno what you're so upset about." Roman responded smugly. He turned to leave. "Get yourself dressed and come on out when you're done." He left the room, Neo hopping off my bed, and onto my lap. Her foot 'just so happened' to land on my crotch, which she used as a springboard to leap off into the hallway, strutting away.

I groaned, in all kinds of unspeakable pain as I pulled myself up. _You asked for this, moron. You signed up for this. You're working with Vale's most wanted, as well as what appears to be a psychotic, sadistic woman with a flare for violence._ I shoved those thoughts down as I got dressed in last night's clothes.

I made my way out into the rest of the hideout. Now that it wasn't some ungodly hour of the night, and I could think at least somewhat coherent thoughts, the hideout was relatively barren. It was an apartment in one of the seedier parts of town, the kind of place where people don't ask questions as long as you've got lien.

In the middle of the room was a dining table which Roman and Neo were both seated at. Off to one side was the kitchen which had a pot of coffee brewing, while on the other side was a simple black leather couch, a matching recliner, and a TV set. I went into the kitchen and rummaged around until I found where the mugs were, then joining the duo at the dining table.

"Fantastic, now that sleeping beauty over here is awake, we can get to work." I rolled my eyes, though didn't say anything.

"We've got a heist tonight, and you'll both be present. Neo, you'll be acting as our escape should we need you. Otherwise, don't get involved." Neo nodded, though was leaning back, her feet up on the table as she fiddled with her scroll. "As for you, Jaune, you'll be on the scene with me. Reality is, this shouldn't be anything too difficult. We're hitting another dust shop, just about the same size as the last one."

I frowned for a moment and leaned forward. "So, what do you need me for, then? You and Junior's boys had it handled just fine last time, not like I've got much to add." I pointed out, and Roman nodded.

"You're right, kid. You don't have much to add. I'm going to change that. You've got to learn on the job. That's how I did it, that's how you'll do it." Roman tapped his chin as he looked me over. "You'll need a weapon to replace your sold sword."

I shrugged a shoulder at Roman. "Yeah, a way to defend myself might be appreciated. Never know when someone here might get a little stabby." I said glaring pointedly at Neo who was innocently, and silently whistling.

Roman chuckled and shook his head. "Stabby, murderous, painful. That's her whole shtick. You'll get used to it." I sighed and shook my head. It wasn't likely, but whatever. I'd figure it out. Or I'd get stabbed. _Huh, when put like that, figuring it out sounds like a much better idea._ "Let's see here. You need a weapon, and a new getup. Can't have you bumbling around, robbing a shop in a hoodie and jeans." Roman took a puff off his cigar as he thought.

I relished in the silence, nursing my coffee, and hoping against all hope that the hangover went away. _You know, on the upshot, most of last night is a blur. That is if forgetting all the details in an upshot, along with finding yourself apprenticed to a criminal kingpin. Granted, it could've been worse. Could've gotten robbed._ I was brought back from my thoughts as Roman got up from the table. "Got an idea there, chief?" I asked with a perked brow. _Please say no and let me sit in silence again._

"Yes, Jaune, I do believe I do." I groaned and pushed to get up. "We're going back to Junior's." I groaned a second time. "Oh, come on, you had fun last night, _and_ got a job that lots of people would kill for." I downed the rest of my coffee and moved to join Roman.

"Why are we going back to Junior's, exactly? It's too early to start drinking." Roman chuckled and shook his head.

"First off, kid, it's four in the afternoon. Second, we're heading to Junior's to get you a weapon and a suit." Roman moved to the door and ushered me out. "You know where the heist is happening, Neo. Meet us there." He didn't bother to look back and confirm her acknowledgement.

Once the two of us were out of the apartment I looked to Roman with a perked brow. "What's with Neo? She doesn't talk, nor do you want her directly involved with the heist?" Roman glanced at me and shrugged his shoulders.

"Eh, she's got a particular set of skills, kid. I keep her out of most things because I'd like to keep her off the wanted list for as long as possible." It sounded logical, sure. "Far as her not talking, she can't from what I've seen. Known her a few months now, never heard her say a word, or make a sound for that matter."

"And she's your partner? Aren't you shooting a little young for your age, Roman?" I was promptly hit square in the back of my head. I groaned and rubbed it, glaring back at Roman who just chuckled and shrugged.

"It's not like that, kid. Think of it more as a father-daughter relationship we've got going."

_Kinky._ "Damn, Roman, that's kinky of you." I was promptly hit again, earning another groan from me. _Did you really expect a different response? Maybe running your mouth like a moron isn't a good idea?_

"Har dee har, kid. You're a laugh riot." Roman said with a roll of his eyes.

"Mhm, and you're the patron saint of Vale."

"Patron saint of criminals, maybe."

Roman and I approached the Club and pushed right on in. Several of Junior's goons were milling about aimlessly, lounging about in booths, and trying to look busy. I recognized Not-Jerry working behind the bar, stocking shelves by the looks of it. I approached the bar with Roman and leaned against it, Roman taking a seat next to me.

"Hey, Jerry, buddy 'ol pal of mine, wanna do me a favor and fetch your boss?" Roman said taking a pull off his cigar. Not-Jerry visibly slumped and turned to look at myself and Roman.

"My name's not Jerry, asshole." He said looking pointedly at Roman.

"Alright, Not-Jerry it is, then." I said with a slight grin. Roman chuckled and Not-Jerry growled lowly before leaving to find Junior.

A few moments later, Junior returned with Not-Jerry in tow. "Roman, kid." Junior nodded to the both of us. "Something I can do for you gentlemen?"

Roman nodded. "Yes, well, you can do lots of things, Junior. What I need you to do is get Jaune here a suit and a weapon. Nothing fancy, what you suit your goons in will do just fine. Far as a weapon, get him a handgun and a short sword. That'll cover the bases I think." Junior nodded and looked me over. He turned and left shortly after.

"Really? No questions asked and he'll arm and dress me like that?" I asked to Roman as I took a seat at the bar next to him.

Roman shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, he's got a good idea as to why I'm here. We're gonna need muscle if we're pulling this off. He'll be happy to add your armaments onto the end of the tab for use of his boys. Consider this an initial investment in your future."

I hummed, nodding as I looked about the room at various goons lounging about. It was still too early for the Club to be getting any business, that'd be expected in another four hours or so. Junior returned with a black suit in hand, along with the hat and shades. Laid on top of the outfit was a revolver and a short sword.

I went and got dressed, finding that the suit was a size or so too big for me, though it was manageable. The sword hung familiarly at my hip, the revolver tucked into a holster at my side. I rejoined Roman and Junior. Roman nodded, looking me over.

"It's definitely a bit big, and it looks tacky, though I can't say I expected anything else from you, Junior." Junior rolled his eyes and sighed. "Regardless, it'll do. Throw it on the end of my tab for the use of your boys tonight."

Junior perked a brow at Roman. "Two nights in a row? You've got some balls, Roman. You know that your little heist last night is all the news has been on about all day, right?" Roman looked unimpressed, taking a puff off his cigar.

"I'm just about all the news gives a damn about, other than the newest scandal with a celebrity. My name being in the news is nothing new."

"You're right. Then again, you don't usually do back to back heists like this. Just saying that you're taking more of a risk than usual."

Roman shrugged. "I am, but I've got a goal to meet." Junior sighed and shook his head. "I'll get your boys back in one piece, don't worry, Junior."

"It's not them I'm worried about, Roman. You've taken in a stray here," he said nodding his head to me, "and you're just going to throw him into a trial by fire? Sounds like you're asking him to get killed or arrested to me."

I blinked, looking between the two men. "Uh, you guys do know that I'm standing right here, right?" They both nodded, still staring one another down.

"The kid will sink or swim, Junior. He knows the risks. The only way for me to teach him is to throw him into the deep end."

Junior sighed and looked to me then. "Listen, kid, I don't care what Roman says. Be careful. You've got to learn, sure, but don't get yourself killed or arrested doing it. Back out before things get too bad."

Roman snickered and perked a brow at Junior. "Since when were you the sentimental type, Junior? And for a kid you don't even know at that? What's gotten into you?"

Junior sighed and shook his head. "I can be as sentimental as I damn well please, and I can offer my advice to whoever I damn well please as well. Now scram, you two are gonna start scaring customers if you hang around too long."

Roman chuckled and nodded. He got to his feet and surveyed the goons gathered behind him. "Alright, boys. We've got a job to do." Roman spun his cane in hand as he pushed past the small group. I moved quickly to catch up with him.

"Don't listen to him, Jaune. You've got me and Neo at your back." I nodded, resting my hand on the hilt of the sword.

_What's the worst that could happen?_

* * *

**Well, that's done. I've probably made almost all of my characters horribly OOC. I mean, drunk Jaune has a spine, Roman and Junior both seem to care? What is this? At least Neo is still mute and more than a little aggressive. I don't _promise_ that this'll be out every week, but that's the goal. I've got this whole story outlined, it's just a case of keeping myself focused and writing each chapter out.**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, that first chapter got a lot of love over a couple days, and I'm excited. Because I'm excited, I wrote the next chapter and decided to publish this as my way of saying thanks, guys. There is some stuff I want to say, though that'll be an AN at the bottom.**

**Without further delay, the story continues.**

* * *

[Chapter 2]

I pressed my back against the wall and slid down to be seated. Around me, several of Junior's goons were doing similar things, sitting on crates, trash cans, or leaning against the wall. Roman had ushered us into the alley and told us to keep out of sight. The truth of the matter was that keeping out of sight was all too easy; the dust shop we were going to be hitting was pretty out of the way, and well out of the public eye.

I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh. _The first heist seemed to happen all too quickly, like they couldn't have cared less if there were people inside. They stormed in, spread out, and took what they wanted and left… I mean, it makes sense that there's planning and recon involved, I guess, but damnit sitting around like this is grating._

Around me, Junior's goons were joking around with one another, some smoking cigarettes, others playing on their scrolls. From an outside perspective, if you could ignore the about dozen men armed and in dark suits standing shadily in an alley, you never would've guessed they were criminals. They watched the same movies, read the same books, and told a lot of the same really bad jokes that normal people did.

I couldn't place why I found that as interesting as I did. _Might be because you expected them to all be just as psychotic and sadistic as Neo?_ I chuckled to myself and shook my head. _No, Neo seems to be a special case. She takes pleasure in hurting people, in holding her power over them._

The goons fell silent, and I opened my eyes, finding none other than Roman stood before us, leaning on his cane, a cigar almost perpetually stuck between his lips. "Well, kids, we've got some dust to steal." The goons all nodded enthusiastically, resting hands on their weapons. Roman held a finger up. "Not so fast there. I'll not have you savages going about spilling blood. You're only to fight if attacked first, am I clear?"

I shrugged and pushed myself up onto my feet, though maintained a heavy lean against the wall. Most of the goons nodded their agreement, letting hands fall off their weapons. Roman's gaze came to me and he nodded. "Showtime, kid. Let's see what you're made of." I rolled my eyes behind the shades I wore and pushed off the wall to join Roman at the front of the crew.

The street we were dumped onto was desolate, a few street lights had burnt out, and not a soul other than us was anywhere to be seen. Roman was spinning his cane idly in hand as he strolled down, seemingly without a care in the world. A glance back showed that most of Junior's goons had lost their smiles and laughs. Now, now they looked a bit more intimidating, more like the criminals I'd been expecting to be surrounded with.

We approached the shop rather quickly. Several goons split off, moving to cover the back entrance of the shop if I had to take a guess. Roman offered me a glance as we approached the door. I nodded in answer to his unspoken question. _I'm ready. I've got this._

We pushed into the shop, the goons quickly fanning out to cover as much ground as was needed. Roman and I approached the man behind the counter who was staring us down. Roman smiled charismatically, leaning up against the counter. "You know, I'd think that with my recent track of robberies, you lot would up your security eventually."

The man behind the counter swallowed rather loudly, looking between me and Roman. Roman looked up. "Get the dust." His gaze tracked back to the shop keeper, who was looking less terrified, and far more on edge. "Now, now, you don't need to worry. We're not here to hurt you. We just want your dust, and we'll be out of your hair."

Roman glanced to me for a moment and nodded. I moved off, drawing a cannister out of my coat that was meant to hold dust. _Everything seems to be going off without a hitch. We'll be fine, just in and out, real-_

Loud alarms sounded in the shop, followed by a loud thud, and someone collapsing to the floor. I glanced back over my shoulder to see Roman with a frown on his lips as he looked at the unconscious shop keep. He sighed and looked up to the rest of us. "Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting."

Roman took one last draw off his cigar, spitting it out afterwards and crushing it under his cane. "Take everything you can carry. We're getting out of this one hot." Most of the goons nodded, going back to gathering what dust they could.

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek, glancing around at the others in the shop. They all seemed fine, perfectly calm and going about draining the dust from the shop. _How can they be calm? The police are going to be here soon. We can't fight our way through them._ I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I traced the arm back to its owner, one of Junior's goons.

"Calm down, kid. Roman's got a plan." He offered a slight smile as he moved on to fill another of his cannisters with dust. _He has a point. I need to trust that Roman can get us out of this situation. He's done this before._

The sirens were rapidly closing in on the shop, Roman called out to us. "Thirty seconds, boys." Nobody acknowledged him. I had filled two cannisters with fire dust, Roman telling me that was most of what we were after, though all of it was valuable.

Thirty seconds seemed to pass in a flash, tires screeching and sirens blaring in tandem with the alarm that was still in the shop. A glance out the glass front windows told me that this would not be pretty. At least four squad cars had arrived already. I finished filling my cannister of dust, storing it away in one of the inner pockets of my coat. I found my hand resting on the hilt of my sword as I joined Roman next to the counter.

"So, uh, wh-what exactly is the plan for dealing w-with these guys?" I asked, my nerves showing through as my gaze scanned over the police.

"Well, kid, I'm glad you asked. We're going to walk out." Roman said with the most confident smile I've ever seen. I stared at him incredulously, my jaw hanging down around my knees if I had to guess.

"… Y-y-you're joking, right?"

"Not even slightly." Roman looked back at the goons who had gathered behind us. He smiled and told them that we were going to be simply walking out. They all looked just as uncomfortable as I did with the idea.

"Oh, come on, you idiots. Have a little bit of faith that ol' Roman here knows what he's doing." Roman said with a roll of his eyes. "Just stick behind me, and we'll be just fine." The group all nodded slowly. Roman, content with all of our acknowledging his plan, pushed out the front door. None of the cops seemed to take notice, all of them still shouting through megaphones and pointing guns at the storefront.

I found myself looking back at the goons who were just as baffled as I was. I frowned and looked to Roman, tapping him on the shoulder. He looked back, slamming his hand over my mouth as I opened it to speak. While that had the desired effect of shutting me up, we had stopped at the front of the pack.

Someone stumbled into someone else, sending them both toppling to the concrete.

Rather suddenly, it looked like something shattered into glass all around us. The cops took notice of us and had weapons pointed at the group, shouting and telling us to surrender peacefully.

"You all were worth every cent. Truly, you _fucking_ were." Roman grumbled, mostly to himself. His eyes went quickly to the police, a sly smile crossing his lips as he spread his arms wide to the police. "Well, now isn't this quite the predicament? A band of thieves sneaking out right under your noses? I wonder what your boss would think." The police continued to shout, demanding that he surrender and come peacefully, or they'll shoot.

I found myself shifting uncomfortably, gripping the handle of my sword so tightly my knuckles were white. _Don't panic, Jaune. This is Roman we're dealing with, he can get us out of this, right?_ Roman chuckled and rose his cane to be pointing at one of the police cars. "Let it be said that I shot first." Roman called out, firing a blast of some nature from the end of his cane, hitting a cop in the shoulder, sending him flying onto his back.

Roman looked to the rest of us, jerking his head towards the police. "Well, don't just stand there you oafs, _do something!_" He shouted, getting us all into action. Many of the goons charged in at the police with their weapons in hand, while those armed with pistols took pot shots in attempts to cover for their melee companions.

The police shot back, bullets flying everywhere. I, meanwhile, was stood in the middle of it without a clue in the world as to what to do. I felt something impact my side, sending me to the concrete next to a parked car. I looked to see it was Roman glaring at me. "Listen, Jaune, I know that this is a bit overwhelming, but you've got to do _something_." I nodded dumbly.

_Okay, Jaune. This is what he meant, trial by fire. Well, maybe not exactly what he meant, but it's close enough._ I saw that the police had pushed back many of the goons we brought with us, many more bleeding in the street. Those that weren't were hiding behind cars, firing blindly back at the police. _Think, Jaune. You're out gunned, out manned, and surrounded… Do you have any advantage at all?_ I dug into my coat to grab my revolver, a hand gracing the edge of a cannister for a moment. _That. That might be an edge on the police._

I drew out one of the cannisters I had taken from my coat. "Roman… If I managed to throw this near one of their cars, think we could hit it and blow it up?" It wasn't a great plan, it was hardly a good one. It was all I had for the moment.

Roman grinned and nodded. "If you can get it there, kid, I can take care of the rest."

Alright, sure. Now, just to get it to the target… _My throwing arm is about as weak as can be._ I glanced to Roman who was taking pot shots at police cars with his cane, ducking back as the police fired in return. I bit my lower lip as I looked to the line of police firing on us. Their attention was all on Roman and the goons nearby, not on their flanks. _Maybe I can get around them… Somehow, and roll one right under a car?_

Roman's hat had a bullet hole in the brim of it, Roman looking to me. "Any day, kid." I nodded and got into a crouching position, shifting to the other side of the car. _Alright, deep breath, Jaune. You can do this. You can do this._ I broke into a sprint as I made for the cover of another car.

The police had arranged a sort of semi-circle on the street with their squad cars, blocking off the front entrance to the dust shop. I managed to avoid the hail of gunfire that was raining at me as I ran, ducking behind the vehicle. _Alright, Jaune. One more car, and you're home free._ The police were shouting, calling out my movements to one another. _Its now or never._

I charged from my cover, the next car was only twenty feet away.

Fifteen feet away. _I think I got this._

Ten feet away. _This is actually gonna work!_

Five feet away. _We're home fr-_

An incredibly acute pain erupted in my right thigh, sending me toppling to the ground. I heard Roman shout, likely at seeing me get sent to the ground like that. The pain was incredible, though I grit my teeth and dragged myself forward.

No more bullets were directed at me, the police assuming that I was down for the count, likely. I leaned myself against the side of the car, reaching into my coat and taking hold of the dust cannister that was there. I peeked over the back of the car, seeing that the cruiser I was aiming to have this rolled under was just a few feet away.

_Fuck it hurts…_ I looked down at my injured leg, blood seeping from the bullet hole at an alarming rate. I grit my teeth and looked back to the cruiser. _You can do this… Just get it near the car, and the explosion will handle the rest._

I sucked in a shaky breath and pushed myself up into a vague standing position, all of my weight on the left leg. I lobbed the cannister at the front of the police cruiser. It hit the hood and bounced off, clattering onto the ground. "Roman, now!" I collapsed back to be behind the car once more, several rounds impacting the wall behind my cover.

Roman's aim was true, striking the dust cannister, a loud explosion going off, being added on to by the police cruiser's fuel tank going as well. I heard Roman calling out orders to the goons, though I couldn't make sense of what he was saying.

A moment or so later, I became aware of Roman crouching next to me. He grinned at me and clapped me on the shoulder. "Good job, kid." I smiled weakly, holding the bullet wound with my hands, trying desperately to staunch the bleeding. "Keep your head down, I'll pick you up on the way out." I nodded limply as Roman got to his feet and made for the ruins of the cruiser we had just blown up.

The rest of the firefight was a blur, lots of Roman shouting commands and orders, and more shooting. Lots more shooting. I, meanwhile, was leaned against a car, clutching at my wound. It hurt more than anything I had ever experienced in my life, and all I could do for it was grit my teeth and bear it.

It could've been two minutes, or thirty, but Roman returned. He looked a bit disheveled, though generally in good health. His generally posh getup was ruined, though he didn't seem bothered. He called to several goons who came running. "Pick him up, we've got to get moving before more show up." A pair of goons stooped down, one taking my arms, the other my legs. I howled in pain as I was jostled around, though didn't fight it.

The sounds of sirens were quickly closing in. Roman rushed us down the street and into an alleyway. He pressed forward like he had known this place all his life, taking turns through alleys that I would've gotten lost in rather quickly. It was a fifteen-minute jog back to the Club.

Rather than taking a kid with a gunshot wound in through the front door, we circled around to the back and shuffled in. Several goons were looking a bit spooked, and now on edge. "You," Roman said, pointing his cane at one of the goons on guard, "find me Junior." The man nodded and ran inside. Roman pointed his cane at another. "Medical supplies. Now." He nodded frantically and ran inside as well.

I was carried into the back of the club, Roman throwing open one of the doors to a room. It was a bedroom, one that looked like it was lived in, though Roman didn't seem to care. I was laid down on the bed by the two goons. Roman nodded to them and sent them on their way.

Shortly after, Junior entered the room, focusing a glare on Roman. He opened his mouth to speak, though Roman cut him off. "We will discuss what happened _after_ we get him taken care of." Junior snapped his mouth closed and nodded, looking to me, and then to the wound on my leg.

He found a chair and dragged it to be next to the bed I was laying on. He went about unbuttoning the cuffs of his dress shirt, rolling them up. He looked to me. "Did it go all the way through?" I shook my head, whimpering quietly in pain. "Well, shit. Alright, I'm going to have to remove it then." The goon returned with medical supplies, setting them on the table and vanishing from the room.

Junior turned and started rifling through the supplies he had been brought. My gaze went from Roman to another newcomer, none other than Neo. She was stood with arms crossed over her chest, pouting as she looked at me. I didn't know what she wanted, or if she was trying to tell me something. I probably wouldn't ever know.

"Sorry, kid, but this is gonna hurt like hell." My eyes shot back to Junior as he spoke.

"Wh-what's going to hurt?" I managed out, eyes wide.

I never got an answer.

Junior insisted that he was going as fast as he could, removing the bullet from my thigh. It didn't feel like it. It felt like it was dragging on for hours on end, though part of me knew it wasn't. The whole process of removing the bullet and the fragments likely took ten minutes by my guess, maybe longer. Then came stitches for the wound. I wanted to scream, and I did once or twice, I think. All said and done, though, Junior had me patched up as best he could.

Junior left shortly after, leaving Roman and Neo with me. Roman has produced a cigar, which I'm still convinced is his semblance, and taken a light to it. "Well, now that you've been patched up, we can get on with the rest of this." Roman said, getting up off the chair he had been sat at. He came and took a seat where Junior had been, leaning forward slightly.

"So, let me see if I've got this right, kid. You thought it'd be a good idea to apply to Beacon, Vale's Huntsman academy, without your Aura unlocked? Without any real training? Have I got that right?" I sighed and nodded weakly, offering a forced looking smile.

Roman groaned, shaking his head. "You should've known better…" Roman muttered, more or less to himself.

"Yeah, I should've, but oh well. I made my decision, and now I'm here." I retorted back, not wanting to be berated by Roman too for my poor decision making.

"Not what I… You know what, never mind." Roman said, taking a draw off his cigar. I perked a brow at him but let it go. Roman rolled his shoulders back. "Well, I can fix that. Though the training will take a while." I nodded. _If I don't train to become better, I won't be able to defend myself when I need to._ Roman frowned for a moment, taking the cigar out of his mouth and setting it down on the table for a moment. "Let's see if I remember how this works."

He reached out and rested both of his hands on my forearm, which I thought was odd, but whatever. "Ahem. For it is in our infamy that we achieve immortality, through this we become a paragon to deceitful glory to rise above all others." Roman's hands began to glow a slight shade of orange, something also began to stir within me. Something big. "Infinite in potential and unbound by laws, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, set you free." As Roman finished speaking, I felt _something_ wash over me in a rush. It was warm, comforting, friendly. _Is… Is this my Aura?_ I felt free, like I had been saddled by chains before, and was now released for the first time.

Roman chuckled, leaning back to take his cigar once more. "Damn, kid. That's a whole load of Aura you've got there. Makes me wonder if the longer it's sealed the bigger it grows… Hmm." I looked back to Roman, tilting my head slightly. I could feel my Aura seeping into the bullet wound, seeking to repair it.

"So, uh, Roman? How does this work, exactly…? My Aura, I mean." I asked hesitantly. I knew nothing about Aura or what exactly it could do.

Roman sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Shit, kid. You really don't know a thing, do you?" I made to respond, though was cut off. "That was rhetorical." I shut my mouth and waited for him to start.

"Alright, kid, the best way to put it is that your Aura is sorta your soul. Well, it's the projection of it. That's not really the important bit, though. Think of it as a shield, something you've gotta raise if you want it to protect you… It's not a passive deal, not without a semblance at least. If you want to block a blow, you've got to raise your Aura." Roman explained, a small frown on his lips. "As an example, if you'd had your Aura up and took that shot, you wouldn't be physically hurt. Just a dent in your Aura." I nodded, made sense to me. Sorta… Well, not really, but he had no reason to lie, right?

"So, with that in mind, the amount of Aura you've got should tell you how many blows you can take. You've got a load of Aura, among the most I've ever seen. You should be able to take a solid few shots if you've got to. Though, the best thing is to not rely on your Aura at all. Use it only if absolutely needed. That'll make you a better fighter, dodging and blocking more than taking it head on." I nodded again. It was a bit to take in. Essentially, I could summon a force field if I had to take a blow from something.

"Now, on to the second thing we've got to fix. You don't have combat training." I caught the predatory grin that crossed Neo's lips. _Oh god, Roman, please no. Anything but that. I beg of you._ Roman looked to Neo and nodded slowly. "Yes, I do believe that Neo will be in charge of your training. Might be that she can turn you into something respectful yet." I groaned. _He hates me. He has to if he thinks this is a good idea._

"You do know she'll probably kill me, right?" I asked, more than a little terrified of the sadistic grin as she stared me down.

"Eh, if you want to avoid that, I'd recommend you learn quickly." Was all Roman had to offer as support. _Yep, he's plotting to have me murdered under the guise of it being training._

I groaned again, though didn't complain. _He is doing a favor for you. Even if it's a really terrifying way of doing it._

Roman was still looking at Neo. He shook his head. "No, Neo. You can't start now. He's still got a hole in his leg." Silence for a moment. "Yes, I know that you'll put more holes in him if he doesn't learn quickly, but let him rest first." Neo was pouting, her arms crossed over her chest. Roman looked back to me and sighed. "You're welcome, by the way. She wanted to start right this instant."

I smiled weakly, nodding at Roman. "Well, uh, thanks?"

Roman shrugged a shoulder and got up, dragging the chair back to the small table. "Get some rest, kid. I'll be around sometime tomorrow to pick you up." He ushered Neo out and closed the door behind him, leaving me alone in the room. _Well… All things considered, tonight's a success, right? You completed a heist, in a manner of speaking. You got cornered by the police, figured the plan out of it, and got your Aura unlocked… At the cost of being trained by Neo… Yeah, you're probably doomed, but oh well. You'll be fine. Probably. Maybe. Most likely not._

I was interrupted from my thoughts as the door opened, Junior strode in with a bottle of water in hand. "I told you to back out if things got too dangerous. What happened to that plan, kid?" He didn't sound accusatory, just tired. It showed in his eyes.

"I, er, well… There wasn't anywhere to go, really… We got pinned down by the police, and someone had to do something. I was the someone, I guess." I responded slightly timid. Junior sighed and shrugged a shoulder.

"Well, whatever. At least you're alive. Can't say the same for a lot of my boys, but that's the risk they ran becoming a criminal." Junior frowned, looking me over. "Roman told me he's unlocked your Aura for you. Means that wound of yours will be there for a day or so, not a few weeks." I nodded slowly. _Huh, so my Aura has a healing factor too… If I didn't know better, I'd say that makes me some sorta super hero… Or maybe villain, considering what side of the law I'm on._

Junior set the bottle down on the nightstand and turned to leave. "Junior?" I called out, the man stopping in the doorway to look back at me. "Uh, well, I mean…" I didn't really know what I was trying to say.

"Spit it out, kid. I've got a business to run."

"Why help me? Why give a shit at all, I mean, I'm just a nobody two-bit-criminal? You've got a load just like me under your employ." Junior frowned and narrowed his eyes at me.

"That's a good question, kid. I'll get back to you when I have an answer." He said as he turned and left me on my own once more.

It had been a long day. One that I couldn't particularly believe I had been involved in. I was a criminal. If there had been a doubt in my mind before, there was none now. There was only one thing to do now. I had to get good. That'd take time, sure, but I'm not in a rush. I've got Roman, Neo, and I guess Junior at my back. I've got more support for a life of crime than I ever had for becoming a Huntsman.

I slowly started to drift off, and rather than conflicted and afraid, I was content.

[-/-]

I awoke the next morning to the sound of someone pounding on the door. "I'm up, I'm up…" I grumbled, throwing the sheets off. I took a moment to examine the wound on my leg. It was looking better, but then again, it could be worse and I'd have no idea it was. The pounding on my door continued, whoever it was remaining rather silent aside the knocking.

I groaned. _Alright, time to see if you can stand to put weight on that leg at all._ I pushed to get to my feet. Low and behold, I can put weight on the injured leg. It still hurts slightly, but it is usable. The persistent person on the other side of the door continued. "I'm coming, calm down. You don't need to break the door." I growled out.

I pulled open the door and was faced with a short, raven haired girl wearing a white dress. "Junior said to wake you up." She turned on a heel then and walked off down the hallway. _That was… odd? Definitely odd._ I shook my head and looked back at the room. I turned and retrieved the sword that I had been given. The gun was still hanging in its place on the inside of my jacket. The whole outfit was a wreck, covered in grime and a bit of blood, though I didn't have anything to change into.

I stepped into the main room of the Club. Junior was lounging with his arms crossed over his chest in a booth at the far side. He didn't acknowledge me as I entered, his breathing rhythmic and slow as I approached. His eyes were closed, the older man appeared to be asleep. I coughed and cleared my throat. Junior froze for a moment, cracking an eye open at me. He relaxed after a brief moment.

"Kid, good to see that you're up and walking on your own." He said, pulling himself up with a stretch, cracking several bones.

"Yeah, well, your wake-up call could use some work." I retorted.

"Oh, Melanie? Ignore her. She's not a morning person." Junior said with a roll of his eyes.

I hummed noncommittally as I eyed the older man over. "I take it you had something you wanted to talk about if you're dragging me awake this early?"

Junior shook his head. "Not really, kid. Thought you'd appreciate a breakfast before Roman comes to send you off to be tortured, er, trained by Neo." I groaned, shivering in response.

"That definitely inspires faith…" I muttered.

Junior chuckled and clapped me on the shoulder. "Maybe she'll go easy on you, kid." I rose my brows at Junior and gave him the best 'Really?' look I could muster. The man chuckled again and shrugged. "You never know. It could happen." He nodded to the other side of the booth for me to take a seat.

Junior called to one of his henchmen, one who was decidedly not Not-Jerry, and told him to bring out a couple of breakfasts for he and I. The goon nodded and ambled off back towards the bar. I rose a brow at Junior. "You run a Club, as well as a full-service diner here or something?" A slight tone of teasing in my voice.

Junior rolled his eyes. "Definitely, can't you see the clientele we attract?" He asked, sweeping his arms wide to the mostly empty Club. There were a few goons stumbling around, nursing cups of coffee.

I snickered. "Mhm, quite the lucrative business you're running."

A few minutes later, a goon came out with two plates in hand, sliding them onto the booth. It was nothing special, just two slices of toast, a bowl of oatmeal, and a cut of butter. I looked up to Junior with an inquisitive gaze.

"I never claimed we served good food. Just food." I sighed and shook my head. I should've known better than to expect something more.

The two of us ate in relative silence, content to sit and enjoy eating with a friend. The food as a whole was about what I expected. Toast was hard to mess up, and was what I'd expected. The oatmeal needed either brown sugar or butter, though I had used all my butter on the toast. Alas, I was stuck with very bland oatmeal.

Junior had a goon come and clear the plates from the two of us. Junior was looking off into the distance, past me. If I had to wager, he was lost in thought.

_What I don't get is why Junior is kind to me. I don't work for him, I haven't helped him, I've hardly interacted with him. Yet here he is, offering advice, stitching me up, and feeding me to boot. What's his angle? Does he think he'll get something out of me? But what could I offer to him that he doesn't already have?_ I was chewing on the inside of my cheek as I thought, looking down at the table. _I'm nothing more than a stray taken in under Roman's wing… I know that Junior runs a gang, so is there a chance he looks to me as a way to get leverage over Roman?_

_No, that doesn't make sense. Roman might've taken me under his wing, but if it was keeping me safe or himself, he'd make that decision in a heartbeat._ I shook my head. _No, it's got to be something else… But what? What's his motive?_ I looked up to Junior who was now watching me with a slight smile crossing his lips. "Lien for your thoughts there, kid? Looking pretty lost in your own musings."

I hummed in response, meeting his gaze. The look he had was… soft, gentle, welcoming even. _I… That's… I don't even know what to think of that. Junior strikes me as a hard ass with a lot of people, yet here he is showing me something different. _"I, uh, well…" I trailed off, chewing on the inside of my cheek. _You won't know unless you ask._

"What's your angle here, Junior? I mean, why show me as much kindness as you have… I'm not saying that I don't appreciate it or anything, it's just… Why? Like, I get that I've got a connection to Roman, but I don't see how that helps you. I don't really see how being nice to me and helping me like you have is going to benefit you at all. I've got nothing to bring to the table, yet here you are investing in me like I have something to show." I realized after the fact that I had been rambling slightly, and that was a lot to unpack, but I had asked what I wanted to. At least a little bit.

Junior chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Y'know, kid, I see a lot of myself in you. Call it an impulse, empathy, or fatherly instinct, it doesn't really matter. You're innocent, kid, and you're in way over your head, just like I was at your age." I frowned, though didn't say anything to him. "You needed help, just like I did, and you sure as hell weren't going to get it from Roman. I stepped up to the plate."

I tilted my head to the side slightly as I listened to what he had to say. "Far as what I've got to gain, shit, probably not much. In our line of work, it doesn't matter how good you are, you can always get caught by surprise. There's always a chance that Roman goes down and ends up taking you with him, burning whatever investment I made." Junior paused for a moment. "Then there's always the chance that you do well. You make something of a name for yourself, and I get a new friend in a low place as it were." He shrugged then. "Like I said, I see a lot of myself in you. I'd like to see how you use it, what you make yourself. If it costs me a bit of capital, time, and other resources to see it, then fine."

I hummed quietly and nodded slowly. "So, you're helping me out… mostly on a whim?"

"Eh, sure, let's roll with that."

"… Thank you, Junior." I mumbled, quietly.

The older man chuckled. "Any time, kid. If you need help, you know how to get here." He pushed himself out of his seat at the booth and made to head into the back room. "I'm gonna get ahold of Roman. He'll be on his way shortly." I nodded, watching as Junior left me to my own devices.

_Junior doesn't have an ulterior motive then? At least, I couldn't see any deceit in his words. They all sounded genuine… What was it he said about my not getting help from Roman? Roman's already done so much for me, taken me in, unlocked my Aura, given me a place to stay and all… It's a mutual benefit I think, I get training and a chance to become something, and he gets a new lackey to command. Roman makes sense. At least, some of the time. I'm still not sure about this whole training with Neo deal, but it'll do._

I found my thoughts interrupted by someone coming and taking a seat across from me. I looked up and was met with two pairs of eyes staring me down. They were twins, one of which I recognized from the wake-up call this morning. _I think Junior said her name was Melanie?_ "Uh, something I can do for you two…?"

The girls looked at one another, and then back to me with narrowed eyes. Neither of them spoke, they just stared me down rather uncomfortably.

"Alright, this is uncomfortable… I, uh, I know you can talk" I said pointing to the twin I recognized, "yet here you are, staring me down… Is there anything I can do, or are you just here to make me obscenely uncomfortable with the situation?"

Melanie – I'm almost 100% sure that's what Junior said, and I'm sticking to it – leaned forward slightly. "I don't get it. What does Junior see in tall, blonde, and scraggly with a limp here?" She wasn't talking to me, at least that wasn't the impression I got. It seemed like I was being talked at.

"I don't know, Mel. He doesn't seem like he's got any value to me." She frowned as she scrutinized me. "Seems fitting that he's in one of the boy's suits. Even if I'm sure he'd lose to almost all of them."

"His suit is nearly destroyed. Makes him seem lesser than the rest." Melanie said, still staring me down. I was now feeling just about as uncomfortable as I knew how to.

I elected to remain silent, thinking that perhaps by ignoring them, they'd grow bored and leave me alone.

Oh, how wrong I was.

The twins were aware that I was ignoring them, to the point that I'm pretty sure one of them said as much. Though despite that, they kept on scrutinizing me and talking back and forth. They irritated me, though became simple background noise that I could deal with.

Deal with it I did for almost an hour.

Now, I'm a patient man. At least, I'd like to think that I am. Though listening to two people chatter back and forth about you while ignoring them completely can get rather grating on one's nerves. _I probably would've snapped at them if not for the fact that I'm sure they could kick my ass ten ways to tomorrow._

I was saved, however, by none other than my soon to be torturer/trainer: Neo. The diminutive girl arrived and came to be staring down the twins. She was armed with a glare that could kill, and I'm sure that if she could find a way to weaponize it she would. The twins eventually left, leaving me alone with Neo who turned to be staring me down, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked me over.

I blinked a couple of times and tilted my head slightly. "Is there something you wanted, Neo?" I asked with a sigh, awaiting my fate. The girl nodded and motioned for me to follow her. I groaned. _Is this how I die, following Neo to a non-descript alleyway to get stabbed to death under the guise of training?_

Neo led me out of the Club, to none other than Roman who was lighting another cigar. _Seriously, I've never seen him with a case, only the singular damn cigar. Where does he hide them?_ The man nodded. "Well, I can say that I'm surprised she didn't stab you on the spot and call it the start of training." Neo rolled her eyes and pointed to my wounded leg.

"Mmm. Don't want to start till his limp is gone, then." Roman looked back to me with a slight smile. "She's got to like you, giving you the opportunity to heal up like this." Neo focused her glare onto Roman, silently threatening him if he continued to run his mouth. Roman chuckled and rested a hand on Neo's head. "Yeah, yeah. You can threaten me all you want, we both know you won't kill me." Neo pouted and crossed her arms, looking away.

"So, uh, what's the plan, Roman?" I asked wearily watching Neo from the corner of my eye.

"The plan, Jaune, is to turn you into a respectable criminal." Roman said with a wry grin on his lips, turning and marching off into the city.

I let out a sigh as I pushed on after Roman. _Turn me into a respectable criminal, huh? I suppose it could be worse._

* * *

**So, that was fun. I enjoyed writing that, though the outcome of the dust robbery changed a lot of times before I settled on this one. Regardless though, there's a few things I need to make clear.**

**First is that Roman's Aura unlocking speech I 100% yoinked from Coeur's Professor Arc. If you haven't read that story yet, go and do it. Coeur has a talent for comedy that I just fail to be able to emulate.**

**Second is that I am in the market for a Beta for this story, so if you'd like to take up that role, feel free to hit me up.**

**Lastly there are a few things from my reviews that I'd like to address here.**

**To Ree-Dur who asked **_"Is Ruby going to be in this story? ... I want to know why Jaune sold his sword."_**  
In short, yes, Ruby will be in this story, though she's not a main character and won't be playing a huge role in this particular fic. As for why Jaune sold his sword, well, I have that all planned out. Jaune has his reasons, though we've just not heard them yet. Answers will come in due time, fear not.  
**

**And to The Exiled Darkness, your theories are somewhat right as we saw in this chapter relating to Junior. As for Roman, that has yet to be shown, but we will see what the future has in store for our poor hero and his 'misunderstood' friends.**

**OH! And please be sure to drop a review, seeing those appear makes me feel good about writing this story for you guys, and if you've got some constructive criticism I'd love to hear it.**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	3. Chapter 3

**And we're back with another chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 3]

If ever I thought I could fight, I now see how wrong I was.

Neo was relentless in her assault. She was fast, faster than anyone I'd ever seen in my life. Worst of all, she didn't explain anything, not that she could, but still. She continued to beat you down, send you to the floor time and time again, only to rinse and repeat.

While I did get beat down quickly and mercilessly each time, eventually it would come that I didn't get sent down in the first seconds of her assault. I found myself able to parry a blow, dodge out of the way of another. It was slow progress, but progress none the less.

I found myself brandishing my sword in front of me, staring down the evilly smirking Neo as she sized me up. _Alright, Jaune, you've got this. You're getting faster, better at dodging and parrying. You can do this._ I inclined my head towards her, shifting on my feet uncomfortably.

It was like a flash, and she was on me in an instant. Her blows never seemed to follow the same pattern from spar to spar, always coming from a new angle, trying to pierce my new defenses. I caught glimpse of her making a swipe for my right side, and rather than parrying, I dodged backwards, out of her reach. She closed the space quickly once more, pressing my defense harder.

I found myself still ceding ground to her, dodging the vast majority of her blows. She made to stab at my torso, the blow I deflected with the blade Junior had given me. If the glint I caught in her eye was anything to go by, that was my mistake. She stepped into my guard, following up with a particularly strong elbow to my gut.

Rather than let her remain and continue to wail on me, I did my best to disengage from her, making some small amount of space between us. My reprieve was brief, as steel met steel once again. I grit my teeth and held her back, though she proved to be stronger than I was.

She disarmed me with a flick of her blade, kicking me down to the hard concrete beneath us. As I made to get up, I found the tip of her blade pointed at my neck, as well as a foot pressed firmly into my gut.

Once again, I had lost.

I fell back to the concrete in surrender, staring up at the ceiling above me. The blade was lifted from its place at my neck, followed by a swift kick to my side.

"Alright, alright. I'm getting up." I grumbled, pulling myself up to my feet.

Neo crossed her arms and glared at me. _That could mean just about anything. She's got to know I don't speak Neo._

"If you want me to do something, you're going to have to spell it out." I moved to find my sword that had clattered to the concrete not far away.

I turned back to see Neo draw her sword from her parasol once more. She charged before I had even raised my blade in defense. I made a narrow dodge away from her, only just evading being eviscerated by my trainer.

I quickly rose my guard, just in time to deflect her next blow. Her attacks continued to come, and I dodged away as much as I could, blocking what I couldn't dodge. _While you might be useless in attacking, at least you can avoid damage._

Neo's assault was relentless as ever, keeping me on the backfoot as I was pushed across the room. I found, far too quickly for my taste, that I was with my back against a wall. _Great. Fantastic, really. Now what's the genius plan?_

I parried a blow that was aimed to sweep over my chest. _You have the weight advantage, as well as reach over her. She's got you beat in swordsmanship… I wonder how she'll do with grappling a larger opponent._ It was a stupid move, one that I knew I'd be paying for later, regardless of the outcome. But it was better than nothing.

I deflected another blow, and threw my blade to the side. I made to tackle the girl, landing my arms around her torso as what little momentum I had sent us both to the concrete. I watched as Neo's smirk vanished, her eyes narrowed.

_Oh, you are so fucked._ I tried to push that thought down.

Neo was struggling under me, and rather quickly gaining purchase. Granted, I didn't know how to grapple, only that one was to try and restrain their opponent. In that endeavor, I was only slightly successful.

I managed to keep Neo pinned under me for all of about six seconds. For my first try, I thought that was at least decent. Neo slipped from my grasp, and somehow had managed to flip me around, now with my back to the concrete, restraining my limbs, her form perched over me.

She looked inordinately proud of herself, a wide smirk on her lips as she stared down at me. I tried my hardest to free myself from her grip, though it was a fruitless endeavor. I relaxed, slumping against the concrete.

"You win, Neo." I grumbled out. She didn't move instantly, keeping me pinned down as she hung over me, watching with narrowed eyes.

"I said you win. Will you get off my chest now?" She pouted, though got up to her feet. I sat up, feeling sweaty, out of breath, and sore.

Neo made a show of dusting herself off, not even appearing to have broken a sweat in our fight. She never did.

"Say, Neo?" She turned to regard me with a perked brow. "Did I at least manage to catch you off guard?" She rolled her eyes and turned away, strutting off, back towards the hideout that we called home.

I let out a sigh and dragged myself onto my feet once again. It felt that, rather than being human, I was a walking bruise, and that might not be all that far off. Granted, I had Aura and that was taking care of most of the damage, but when you still don't know how to channel your Aura into healing, or taking a particularly brutal blow, it still takes a while.

I took my blade in hand and took a moment to admire it.

Truth be told, it was cheap, mass produced, and it didn't feel like it fit. Much like my suit, it just wasn't quite right. I can't place what it was, but something felt off. It didn't sit right in my hand, even if the balance was good, and the steel sharp as I knew it to be.

I sheathed it on my side and pressed on, back towards the place I had come to call home. Neo took the liberty of commandeering a nearby warehouse for my personal beatings. It wasn't all that far a walk back to the apartment, just about two miles, give or take. It was a walk I made almost every day, maybe twice a day. I had come to know the way instinctively, only after getting lost on the first three or four visits.

It was quiet, a time where I didn't have to worry about Neo beating me down or otherwise harassing me. It was a good time to get lost in my own thoughts.

_You are getting better, Jaune. Slowly, sure, but you're getting better. Neo won't ever admit it, but your little stunt with tackling her must've surprised her. It sure as hell surprised you. Granted, it didn't do much other than annoy her, but it was something she didn't expect from you. That's got to be a step in the right direction… Right?_

_While I might be getting better, it's happening too slowly. Sure, eventually I'll become good enough for Roman to consider taking me on heists and not have me a liability, but who can say how long that'll be? I mean, it's not even like I can manipulate your Aura other than to slightly lessen the impact of blows. I can't fight, I can't use my Aura, I can't do a simple heist without the cops showing up. What I can do is fai-_

My thoughts were interrupted as I bumped into someone, sending them to the ground. I frowned down at the red cloaked form. "Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." I said almost immediately, holding a hand out to them.

The girl looked up and smiled at me, taking my hand to pull herself up. "Heh, it's no problem… I mean, you did knock me down, but it's not a big deal, you know?" Her voice, I recognized her voice. I took a moment to examine her more closely, finding the awkward looking face of Ruby Rose staring back at me.

It only took her a half second longer to recognize me, and she quite visibly lit up. "Oh my god, Jaune! It's good to see you!" She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, and I was left feeling rather awkward.

"I, uh, yeah, hey, Ruby. It's been a while… How've you been?" I asked, not at all sure if I should be retuning her hug. Thankfully, the girl released me and took a step back.

"I'm pretty good, just went back to school at the start of the week. I mean, Signal is great and all, but soooooo many of my classmates are frustrating. It's like they walk on eggshells around me or something. I guess it might have something to do with my dad being the combat instructor there, but like, they don't need to be afraid of talking to me! My dad's not that scary." Ruby continued to ramble, and I found that I was only half listening to what she had to say.

I shuffled awkwardly. I was hot, sweaty, and tired. All I wanted to do was go home, get a shower, and pass out until Neo inevitably decided that it was time to beat me into submission again. "…Jaune? Hello, Ruby to Jaune, anyone there?" The small girl asked, waving her hand in front of my face.

I coughed awkwardly into a fist and shook my head. "I, er, sorry about that… Must've zoned out for a second there, I guess. What was the question?"

Ruby smiled and shrugged. "It's cool, I do that all the time too. I asked what you've been up to since I last saw you."

I choked at the question. _What've I been up to, Ruby? Well, why don't I tell you the most amazing story of how a Criminal Kingpin took me in and made me his new apprentice, oh, and the time that we broke into and robbed a dust shop, only to get into a firefight with local law enforcement. Then I can't forget the slave driver of a trainer I have, who I'm convinced isn't trying to teach me anything other than how to take a beating._

"Well, I've been working, I guess… You, uh, you remember that security that was shuttling all the dust away that night?" I asked, getting a swift nod from the girl. "Well, I sorta got a job with them, yeah." _I am SO screwed._

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Cool! It's good to hear that you're doing something good with your time, hopefully with the increased security these dust robberies will start to cool down."

I let out a long breath that I didn't know I'd been holding. "I, uh, yeah, we can only hope…" _There must be a god, and he must be merciful._ "So, uh, Ruby, where were you headed to just now? Not much down that way other than old warehouses."

"Well, I wanted to go shooting, and since I got yelled at last time for taking up the range at school all day and all night, I decided that I'd come here… That's not illegal, right? Like, I won't be doing something bad by shooting some targets out here, right?" She looked terrified of breaking the law and getting in trouble.

I frowned and shook my head. "I doubt it is. Even if it is a crime, there's generally no police patrolling this part of town, so you should be good."

"How do you know there won't be any police patrolling?" She asked innocently.

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Make something up. Anything._ "I, uh, well, thanks t-to my security job, we work with the police… and uh, seeing as there's not r-really anything down here worth stealing, the police don't bother, I guess? I dunno, I'm just telling you w-what my boss told me."

Ruby looked to think on it for a moment, shrugging her shoulders. "Sounds reasonable, I mean, no reason to pointlessly spread themselves thin, what with Roman Torchwick running rampant through the streets of Vale."

I made a noncommittal hum in agreement as I shifted around awkwardly on my feet. Ruby didn't seem to take notice.

"Hey, Jaune, if you're free, do you want to come shoot with me? It'll be fun!" The girl looked so hopeful with her question, with the biggest pleading eyes I've ever seen.

"Uh… Sure?" She lit up once again, the smile splitting her face in two.

"C'mon, c'mon! Let's go!" She took hold of my wrist and practically dragged me back towards the warehouses that I had just left.

Internally, I groaned. _There goes my hope for a shower and getting to sleep soon._

Ruby didn't seem to have a set destination in mind, wandering through the collection of warehouses looking slightly nervous. For my part, I was relaxed. This was gang territory, sure, but they were under Junior's control, so I had faith that I'd be able to talk our way out of anything unfortunate.

Ruby picked one of the clearly empty warehouses, long since abandoned for an unknown reason. Rather than breaking into the building, she circled around to find a side that was away from the street, both to muffle the noise slightly, and to keep the duo out of sight from the casual passerby.

She handed me a few bottles to set up on an old crate that had been left behind when the warehouse was abandoned, the young girl taking up a position what I guessed to be a hundred meters or so away.

After I had set up the bottles and moved to join the girl, she nodded to me, raising her rifle and firing several rounds. Each round created an incredibly loud crack in the night, followed by the shattering of glass bottles. Ruby looked absolutely ecstatic, while I was still trying to figure out the logistics of how she wasn't sent flying after the first shot.

Ruby then looked to me and tilted her head slightly. "Do you wanna take a shot at it?" I blinked, completely unsure of how to answer that.

"I, uh, well… I mean, I shouldn't…" I stammered, not all that willing to share my complete inexperience with firearms.

"You should! It's fun, the rush you get when you know you've hit your target squarely where you wanted it to."

"Well, you see, the thing is… I've never really, uh, fired a gun before…" Gods, I wanted to go and hide under a rock. What kind of guy my age has never fired a gun in his life? One who's a loser, maybe.

Ruby's eyes went wide. "Really? You've never shot before?" I nodded shyly, finding that my shoes were now rather interesting. "Well, we're gonna fix that tonight! I happen to be something of an expert, so I can teach you!"

I looked up to see what was probably the most hopeful look he'd ever seen, just about ever. His sisters were good, but they couldn't seem to manage this level of cute. I crumbled in an instant. "If it's not any trouble, I guess there's no harm?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically and thrust the massive weapon into my hands. Crescent Rose was every bit as heavy as it looked, the scythe hanging off the end of the weapon making it terribly unbalanced as well.

"Right, so, the first thing you're going to want to do with that is to dig the tip of the scythe into the ground, that'll stabilize it for you, and probably keep you from going flying." I nodded dumbly, digging the tip of the weapon into the dirt beneath our feet.

"So, the next important part is to aim down the scope on the top there. It's got crosshairs, and you'll need to center that on your target." Ruby paused for a moment, rushing over and finding a spare plank of wood, leaning it up against the box it likely belonged to. "So, what I want you to do is pick a spot on that plank of wood and focus the crosshairs on it. When you think you've got it, squeeze the trigger."

I nodded, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. _Just line it up in the crosshair and pull the trigger. Seems easy enough to me._

I found the plank of wood in the sight, and centered the middle of the crosshair on it, confident that I still held the gun steady, I squeezed the trigger.

The recoil shot into my shoulder, likely slamming into several bruises if the pain that was incurred was anything to judge by. The next think that struck me was the sound, while the loud bang I was prepared for, the sound of a round slamming into metal was not. I looked over to Ruby who was frowning subtly as she stared down at the unharmed plank of wood.

I missed, and missed pretty damn bad by the looks of things.

"So, uh, Ruby? What went wrong there?" I asked, not all too sure. _I did everything she told me to do. I don't understand why that went poorly._

"Well, it was your first-time shooting, right? It's not like I expected you to hit the target square on the first shot." She paused, looking me up and down. "When you pulled the trigger, you were holding your breath, right?" I shook my head and she perked right up. "Right, so that's important. When you're breathing during the shot, it can move the barrel slightly, and it'll throw everything off course. If I had to guess, you also weren't quite ready for the recoil that came with it." Again, I nodded dumbly.

"So, here, take your stance like you're about to fire again." I did as she asked, aiming down the scope. What I wasn't prepared for was her resting hands on my own, directing them. I tensed up. "Loosen up, Jaune. I'm going to fix your stance too." I bit down on my tongue and did as she asked, attempting to relax.

As it turns out, that's a lot harder than it looks when a cute girl is guiding your hands, legs, and feet manually into a, as she put it, proper stance. I mean, it's not a bad thing having a cute girl willing to teach you to shoot with her hands all ov-_ No! Bad Jaune! Mind out of the gutter, she's like fourteen!_

I found myself feeling incredibly uncomfortable, standing as I was. Ruby was insistent that this would make me more stable, make it so that my shots actually landed where I wanted them to, but gods did it feel unnatural.

"Alright, now that I've fixed the glaring issues, let's see what you can do, Jaune. Remember, hold your breath while you fire the shot, and don't tense up."

I nodded, taking aim down the scope once more. I followed her instructions to the letter, and much the same outcome as my first shot fired. There was a massive recoil. There was a loud bang. There was no sound of metal being crunched against metal.

I looked down sight at the plank of wood that was now significantly shorter than it had been before. I glanced over to Ruby who looked so very pleased with herself. I couldn't help but to grin at her.

"Now what did I say, that feels good, right?" She asked expectantly.

I chuckled and nodded. "It does, feels real good, especially seeing the results it creates."

Ruby's excitement was contagious, slipping into me. "It is like, my all-time favorite pastime. Well, shooting and weapons maintenance, but still!" She paused for a moment. "You wanna keep at it?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, I guess. If you'll let me."

Ruby nodded, pointing to another old crate that was missing several planks, and was more a shell of a crate than a crate at all. I nodded and took aim.

My first four shots on the crate missed, straying up and to the right. I wasn't particularly good, at least, not right now. With time, I might be able to hit something like that crate with pinpoint accuracy. That required a gun, time, and lots of training, just like anything else that was fulfilling did.

My fifth shot hit its mark, shattering the target into splinters. _That really is a nice feeling, pulling the trigger and seeing the damage that such a simple action can cause._

Ruby was still grinning wide as I got to my feet and handed the rifle over to her. "It's been fun, Ruby. Really, thanks for showing me how to shoot." I said honestly.

Ruby's grin turned into a pout as she realized that I was taking my leave. "You're leaving already?" I nodded; her pout only grew. "But Jaune! I wanted to hang out and shoot for longer…" I frowned for a moment and dug into one of my pockets, producing my scroll.

"Here, put your number in, that way you can contact me whenever you want." Ruby took it and quickly typed her number in, handing it back to me, having given herself the name _Red Reaper_. I rolled my eyes at that. I'd just end up changing it to her name later.

"Well, at least I can get ahold of you if I need to now." Ruby said with a smile, rocking back on her heels slightly.

"You know, I've been meaning to get a gun. Maybe when I do, you can teach me to use it as well." I mentioned my wanting a gun even though I really didn't, knowing that she'd love that idea.

Her smile grew to immense proportions and she nodded rapidly. "Definitely! You'll learn to be a marksman from the best in Signal Academy! I mean, best student, I'm still not as good as the teachers yet."

I could only chuckle and rub the top of her head affectionately. "I'll keep that in mind, Ruby. Thanks for the impromptu lesson." Ruby pouted rather adorably at my rubbing the top of her head.

"No problem, Jaune. Happy to help a friend." Her pout seemed to say that she was still unhappy with me, though her rather elated words didn't quite seem to get the memo.

"Mhm. You take care of yourself now, Ruby. All sorts of dangerous sods out late at night." Ruby smiled and waved as I turned and stared walking away.

"You too, Jaune!" I didn't reply, humming a quiet tune to myself as I walked, feeling as though each shot that rang out behind me found some mystical way to be in beat with my tune.

My hand fell to the hilt of my blade, fingering it idly. _It's not a bad sword. At least, it's held up against Neo's assault tactics. Still, something doesn't sit right. Not like Crocea Mors did. At least with Crocea, I was comfortable enough holding the sword. It felt natural, like it was an extension of me. This doesn't. _

_Maybe it's about time I get my sword back. Take back what's rightfully mine. It's not like I've got to worry about the lien for buying it._ I smirked, nodding my head ever so slightly. _Yes, I think I like that idea._

[-/-]

I entered the hideout to a rather familiar scene. Neo was lounged on the couch, a bowl of ice cream in hand as she watched some really bad comedy that _needed_ the laugh track for people to realize that jokes were being told at all. Roman was nearby, lounging in an arm chair, puffing on a cigar as he fiddled about on his scroll.

Roman looked up and smiled at me once I entered, pocketing his scroll. "Ah, the man of the hour. Good to see you didn't get lost. Again."

"That was _one _time, Roman. One!" I protested hotly. It was an easy thing to do, getting lost in a new place. That wasn't just me, right?

"As I recall it, it was three times."

"Fine, maybe it _was_ three times, but still! I haven't gotten lost since then!"

"I dunno, I wouldn't put it past Neo to hit you so hard that you've got no idea which way home is."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm getting better."

Roman snorted. "Getting better at dodging and running, sure. Come be proud of yourself when you can go on the offense against her."

I frowned for a moment. "Well, I did manage to grapple her to the ground, however briefly."

"Oh, did you now?" Roman spun to face Neo with a perked brow. Neo only offered a lifting of her middle finger in response. Roman looked back to me. "Well, color me slightly impressed."

I nodded, pushing farther into the apartment, towards my room.

"Listen, kid, once you're done, we've gotta have a conversation." I heard Roman call out as I entered my room. I didn't respond, closing my door and going about getting ready for a shower.

[-/-]

Free of sweat and grime, I returned to the main room. The TV had been shut off, and Neo was nowhere to be seen. I was weary to believe that she wasn't skulking about somewhere. Roman was in his usual place in his armchair, lighting a cigar as his eyes trailed up to me. He spun his lighter in hand, the light catching on the engravings for a brief moment before the item as a whole vanished.

"You said we've got to have a talk?" I asked, feeling the exhaustion weighing down on me. I wanted nothing more than to go collapse onto my bed.

"Mhm. See, kid, it's all well and good that you've got Neo training you, but all she'll do is teach you to not get your ass beat." Roman paused for a moment, taking a draw off his cigar. "If you're gonna make it as a criminal, especially as one of my associates, you're gonna need to know a lot more than that. Defense is all well and good, but doesn't do shit if you can't take advantage of their weaknesses."

I had moved into the kitchen as I listened to him talk, returning with a bottle of cheap whiskey and a glass for myself. Roman generally didn't drink. "When're you going to stop telling me things I know, Roman, and get to the point?" For as much as I appreciated Roman and his willingness to step in and offer me some help, the man was long winded and roundabout.

"If you wouldn't interrupt me, I was getting to that." Roman said offering a glare that held no real ire. I rolled my eyes and poured myself a drink. "Like I was saying, you're gonna have to learn to go on the offensive if you're gonna be useful, kid. Your training with Neo is all well and good, but that's not gonna win you fights on its own."

I took a long drink from my glass, leaning back into the rather comfortable couch we had. "Thing is, for what I need you to do, we don't have time to get you properly trained in combat like I was. We're going to have to take short cuts." I rose my brows at that. _Short cuts to becoming a capable fighter? What in the world is he talking about?_

"See, Jaune, I am Huntsman trained and certified. I'm sure Neo could be as well if she ever bothered to apply herself to that field." I blinked a few times, staring Roman down incredulously. I made to open my mouth, though Roman silenced me. "Shh, shh. Please, hold all questions until the end… Now, where was I? Oh, right, huntsmen trained. See, it took me _years_ to get where I am now. Years you don't have."

Roman paused to take another puff off his cigar. "You'll start training with me as well, and I am not going to beat you senseless until you can defend yourself. I will be teaching you, young Mister Arc, to fight dirty. You're a criminal, it's only right that you learn to fight like one."

I nodded slowly. "Right… So, uh, am I allowed to ask things now?"

"Yes, next question, please. I don't have all night."

I rolled my eyes. "So, you're Huntsman trained and licensed?"

"That I am, kid. I went to Beacon, as a matter of fact. Graduated with my team, one of the best in our year to boot."

"What happened…? I mean, to your team?" Roman rather visibly bristled at that question.

He let out a long sigh. "We had our differences and went our separate ways after Beacon."

"Got it. So, uh, about this fighting dirty, what's that entail exactly?" I could tell when it was a good time to change the subject, and pressing Roman was not on my list of things to do.

Roman relaxed, a smile coming to his lips. "Well, I'm glad you asked, kid. Fighting dirty is an ancient practice, used by professionals and criminals alike for thousands of years. Be it throwing dirt in someone's eyes, or something more, it's all efficient. Even the best of fighters crumble to someone not fighting fair."

Roman paused for a moment as I polished off my drink, pouring myself another. "The thing that I intend to train you to know is that there's no such thing as a fair fight, and you'll lose almost every one that is. You need to rig the fight, stack the odds in your favor. Tricks, traps, hidden weapons, cheating, it's all fair game. I plan to teach you how to do that and do it effectively."

I nodded a few times. "Alright, different subject. About my weapons. This sword is great and all, but something doesn't feel right about it. It doesn't sit with me quite right."

Roman frowned and nodded, taking a puff off his cigar. "Got any suggestions up there, kid?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I want Crocea Mors back."

Roman perked a brow. "Yeah, and you know how much that'll run you to get it? More than likely four times what you sold it for, if you're lucky."

I just chuckled and shook my head. "Come now, Roman. Why would I buy it back when I can steal it?" I watched as Roman's grin grew on his lips. "I'm just going to be needing a little help is all."

Roman leaned forward in his seat. "Alright, kid. I'm listening, though I've got one question before we do anything."

"Shoot."

"Why sell the sword at all? That thing was used by your father, and his father before him. Some big family legacy passed down through the ages, the whole deal. I'd think that it's got more value than a few thousand lien."

I let out a sigh, pounded the rest of my glass down in one gulp, enjoying the burning feeling that came with it. I poured myself another as I prepared myself to launch into a story.

"You're right, Roman, it is worth more than a few thousand lien. It was the weapon of my great-great-great, for I don't know how many more greats, grandfather. It has a lot of sentimental value and history behind it. It would make for a fantastic Huntsman weapon, or a nice collector's item for a history enthusiast." I took a paused for a moment, taking a drink from my glass.

"See, when I got denied from Beacon, I was pissed. They were just like everyone else, denied me a chance before I'd ever had the opportunity to prove myself. I didn't know what to do, so I decided that I'd go and wander the streets of Vale until my head cooled down and I could think rationally."I took another drink, staring down at the table. "Genius that I was, I managed to wander my way into a real shit part of town. Probably around here, somewhere. With my luck as bad as it is, I got mugged. Guys took everything from me, scroll, watch, my wallet as a whole. I'm lucky they left me with my clothes." I laughed bitterly, shaking my head.

"So, I find myself lost in the middle of Vale. Takes me a while, but I find my way back to the hotel I was staying at. Wouldn't you guess it, I don't have a keycard thanks to my wallet being stolen. Nor can I prove that I am Jaune Arc, the kid who rented that room with no ID. The guy working the counter didn't seem all to amused and threw me out." I glanced up, and Roman had since leaned back in his chair, puffing on his cigar as he listened to me weave a tale.

"I was stuck outside the whole night, waiting for the clerk who'd checked me in to show up and let me into my room. When I went to pay for said room, I had no money. I had nothing other than my sword. I did the only thing I could think of, I ran off and sold Crocea Mors. Came back, payed the bill, and started wandering the streets aimlessly."

Roman nodded slowly. "So, let me get this straight, kid. You sold your family heirloom of a weapon for cheap because you owed some hotel joint money?"

"Yeah, pretty damn pathetic, right?" I knew I had fucked up, but I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't thinking straight.

Roman started chuckling, shaking his head. "That, kid. That is rich. Here I was, thinking that it'd be some sorta tale of you going in debt to a local gang, and being told to pay up or get hunted down." I groaned and took another shot.

"Yeah, yeah, Roman. Laugh it up, I'm a moron, you don't have to throw it back in my face." Roman, however, continued to laugh, shaking his head.

Roman continued to laugh for a few moments, taking his time calming down. Eventually though, he got control of himself. "So, what're you gonna do to fix it, then? Stroll in, explain your story, and ask for an incredibly expensive weapon back? Buy it?"

I rolled my eyes, taking another drink, enjoying the warm feel as it settled into my stomach. "No, Roman. That'd be stupider than hell."

"Coming from you, that's just rich."

"Shut up, for two fucking minutes, Roman, and I'll explain." Roman rolled his eyes but leaned back into his chair. "Thank you. Like I was about to say, I'm gonna steal it back, obviously. Might need some help along the way, but I will get that sword back in my hands."

"Alright, kid. You cased the joint yet? Tested for police response times incase something goes wrong? When're you planning on doing it, during the day, or at night? Any idea what sort of security they've got? Where do they keep all the merchandise if they're closed?" I sighed, shaking my head.

"See, I appreciate that you're so determined to get that sword, kid. Though if it's gonna happen, you're the one planning it. I'll act as muscle, and an advisor, but this is your heist for your sword. You're the one planning it. We clear?" I nodded. It made sense, Roman didn't care one way or the other if Crocea was in someone's display or in my hands.

"Yeah, Roman. We're clear. I'll do what I've got to for staking the place out, finding security and their routines. Though police response time might be harder." I mused, staring into what might've been my third, maybe fourth drink so far tonight. I wasn't keeping track.

"Like I said, kid. I'm here as an advisor. I can provide some help where it's needed." Roman took another puff of his cigar.

I could only grin and nod. "Right, then. I've got a heist to plan."

[-/-]

It was midday, the sun beat down on the pedestrians of Vale like a jackhammer. I, for one, was regretting my decision to wear my suit. A simple tee-shirt and jeans would've done fine, but a certain someone 'misplaced' them. _I swear, Roman, if I didn't need you, I would think about strangling you._

I found myself before a shop I recognized. It wasn't overly grand, more a hole in the wall type of place. I pushed my way in through the front door, greeting the younger man that was stood behind the counter looking bored out of his mind.

"Good afternoon, sir. Let me know if you need anything." He called out. I simply nodded and found myself perusing the shelves. Most of the weapons on display were Mechashift and hidden behind a wall of locked glass doors.

_"Remember, kid. You're looking for security measures, easy points of entry, and your sword."_ The voice of Roman called in my ear. I didn't respond, shifting my gaze through the rest of the shop. None of the weapons sitting on the shelves here were Crocea Mors, all looking far too complicated to be my simple sword and shield.

I was subtly glancing around the small store, taking note of the layout, as well as where cameras were placed. Whoever set them up was paranoid it seemed. Two on the front door, two on every weapon rack, and three for the main counter. All of the weapon racks were closed off behind sliding glass doors with locks on them.

I made my way to the counter that too was made out of glass, displaying several weapons beneath it. My eyes were instantly drawn to it; Crocea Mors and her shield displayed on one of the shelves with a price tag that I thought had far too many zeros on it.

I looked up to the shopkeeper and smiled. "You said to come to you if I needed anything, right?" The man nodded fervently. I motioned down towards the sword in the case before us. "I'm in the market for a new sword. Mind if I take a look at that one?"

To his credit, the shopkeeper took a moment to look me over and dismissed any notion that I might be dangerous. "Sure, though I'm going to ask that you keep it in the shop."

"Of course, of course." The man crouched down, and I could hear him punching a code of some nature into a pad. He hit eight digits before a loud beep came, and he slid the panel open. A moment later he laid Crocea Mors on the counter for me.

"Here you are, sir." I took the weapon in hand, testing the balance and weight to it. I couldn't help but to smile as I held it. I took a step away from the counter and took a simple ready stance. _This. This is what a weapon should feel like in my hand. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be._

I took a moment to let my gaze track behind the counter, there was a doorway that led to a long hall. If I had to guess, that had several other rooms back there. A restroom, an office, a break room maybe. I couldn't be sure, but it clearly wasn't somewhere of high value, meaning it might be an easy entry.

I swung Crocea Mors experimentally through the air, the shopkeeper looking completely unperturbed, smiling kindly at me. _Yes, this is the weapon I should be wielding. Junior's sword simply doesn't compare._

"It's a fine sword. If what my old man tells me is true, it's ancient, from a long line of heroes or something." The shopkeeper commented as he eyed the blade.

"It feels it, definitely." Despite my urge to just take the blade and run right then and there, I would be running into the busy streets of Vale with a rather distinctive sword and getup. I might be stupid, but I'm not _that_ stupid. Usually.

"Might I be able to interest you in purchasing it? While I know my old man would be reluctant to see it go, he'd never say no to lien." The young shopkeeper said excitedly, hoping that he'd be able to make the biggest sale of the month, likely.

I chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. "I might be, depends on the going price for it."

"Well, dad wants to sell it for something north of twenty-five thousand lien."

"Uh-huh. Twenty-five thousand lien. It's a good sword, sure, but it's hardly going to stack up to modern Mechashift, even with it's shield." The kid frowned, scratching at his chin. "That's a few too many zeros for my taste. Thanks for letting me wield it."

I laid the blade back down on the counter. _I'll be back soon._ The poor shopkeeper looked like he was about to argue with me, though thought better of it, taking Crocea back and locking her away beneath the counter once more. "Well, if you're sure then. What's your price range? Maybe I can set you up with something?"

I sighed, shaking my head. _Not likely._ "No, I was just coming in to browse. I've got a meeting to get to. Thanks again for the help." I turned, scanning the room once more. I found several cameras, just about everywhere. Two pointed at the exit, one at the counter I was just behind, and two for each rack of weapons.

I caught sight of a panel as I turned around, one that looked like it might've been something to do with the alarm system the owner had rigged up_._ It looked standard and simple. What's more, four numbers on it were more worn than the others. 1-7-9-0. That didn't help me figure the order they went in, but it was a start.

I ignored the shopkeeper's call as I stepped back onto the streets of Vale, slipping awkwardly into the crowd. I stood out like a sore thumb, but nobody paid me any mind. _All things considered, the owner of that shop did security well. Multiple cameras from multiple angles, locks on all of his cases, the whole deal. Though he does have a suspected weak point through the back door there, as well as in his alarm. Wonder if Neo or Roman could wreak havoc on that alarm, find a way to disable it. While they're at it, shut the cameras down too, maybe._

_"Remnant to Jaune, you there, kid?"_ The voice of Roman called into my ear, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up?" I dug into an interior pocket of my jacket and pulled out a small bottle of whiskey, taking a long swig.

_"Well, that's good news. Here I thought I'd been talking to a brick wall." _I rolled my eyes, despite the fact that he couldn't see me. _"Get the job done?"_

"No, boss, I didn't. I'm just talking to myself in the middle of the shop like a moron." I responded, sarcasm dripping from every word.

_"Eh, you might be. I know Neo likes to knock out several brain cells at a time. Not to mention the fact that you didn't have many to begin with."_

"I'm sure you'd know all about her tendency to knock brain cells loose. Might explain why you can't keep your mouth shut?" I retorted with a roll of my eyes.

_"Hah! Like she'd be able to. She couldn't lay a finger on me if she wanted to."_ I found that hard to believe. _"… Hi, Neo."_ Roman didn't sound like he was in a good place. If I had to guess, Neo was staring him down, finding the fastest way to disembowel him with a rusty spoon.

"You two have fun over there. I'll be back later." I snickered as I heard what sounded like furniture being knocked over.

_"No, wait, Neo, don't you da- "_I ended the scroll call that we had going, chuckling quietly as I could only imagine the pain that Roman was going to endure at his insinuation of being better than Neo, even if it might've been true.

_Serves him right, I think. See how he likes having the little psychopath come charging at him._ I jammed my hands into my pockets and continued on my way, mind awhirl with plans. All I needed to do was execute them.

* * *

**Well, that was fun. I get the feeling I'm not all too good at writing combat, but that's up for you to decide.**

**Also, sudden Thanos is sudden. Why put it in there? I dunno, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Sue me.**

**As far as how this will be updated from here on, you can expect 2 chapters a week until the story is over, or until I get to writing another fic, whichever comes first, really. Regardless, this will be published on Mondays and Fridays, and maybe more often if the urge to be writing strikes me, however unlikely that may be.**

**Oh, another thing that I'd like to know is if you guys like longer chapters or shorter ones. If I start cutting them down to be like 3-4k words per chapter, I could probably update more often. In reality, you'd be getting the same amount of story, just in differing quantities.**

**Beyond that, I'm still on the hunt for a Beta. If any of you lovely people out there are willing / know someone who might be, shoot me a message and we can have a chat.**

**Please, be sure to leave a follow/fav if you enjoyed the story and want to know when it updates. And if you're feeling kind, I would love it if you dropped me a review, even if it's just encouragement to keep writing, that always makes my day to see.**

**Next Update: Monday, April 8th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy Monday, here's your dose of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 4]

Being under the wing of Vale's most wanted wasn't all that bad, now that I look at it. I mean, sure you've got the VPD out for your head the vast majority of the time, and sure you've got to be careful about what you say to who and all that other nonsense.

It didn't bother me.

When Roman first took me in, I thought that for sure I'd be more uncomfortable being on this side of the law, dealing with the unsavory sorts, avoiding the police like the plague and all. What I rather quickly found was that most of the people on this side of the law were just like everyone else. They had families, dreams, goals, and all sorts of other things. They were normal.

In the month or so that I've been with Roman, not only have I been given an opportunity, a direction, and a chance, I've been treated fairly. Sure, Roman knows I'm not good for much, but he took me in regardless. That was something that I still questioned.

_Why take me in?_ I had no value to him, I offered him nothing. On paper, and in practice, it was a poor business decision in every way. An investment that screamed of failure. _Sure, I didn't rat him out to the police or anything, but that hardly seems like a reason to take me in._ It made no sense. _You could always go and talk to him, ask, do a little digging, see what comes up._ I pushed that thought down, while I _could_ it doesn't mean that I _should_. Roman has his reasons, and if he wants me to know, he'll share them. Right?

Right.

I felt my scroll buzz in my pocket, the telltale sign of someone messaging me.

Ruby: _Hey, Jaune! I'm going to be going shooting again tonight, do you wanna join me?_

I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a moment as I thought on how to respond.

Ruby: _It's okay if you don't want to, but it was fun last time, you know? I mean, you seemed to enjoy it, and the only way you're going to get better is to keep practicing, right?_

I could only chuckle as I typed out a response.

Jaune: _Sorry, Ruby. I don't think I'll be able to tonight. Or for the rest of the week for that matter, boss has me running ragged._

Ruby: _Awwww. Well okay then. How about sometime next week?_

Jaune: _Uhh, I'd have to look at my schedule and see what the boss has planned. So I'll go with a maybe for now._

Ruby: _:(_

Jaune: _Yeah, I know. I'll let you know later on._

I sighed, pulling myself up from the comfortable spot I had on the couch. I glanced around, and found that the hideout was still empty. Roman was gone for the night on important business, and Neo was who knows where.

With both of my companions gone, I didn't have much to do. No Neo to kick me around, and no Roman to teach me the wonders of pocket sand again. Now that I thought about it, I very well could have gone shooting with Ruby tonight, but oh well. I had already said no, and wasn't about to back out on that.

I hummed quietly to myself as I wandered through the apartment, finding that we were out of whiskey, and generally out of food. I grumbled to myself and turned to head out of the apartment.

My mind began to wander as I left the apartment. I didn't have a destination in mind, content to let my feet take me where they will. I let my hand rest on the hilt of my sword, finding some small comfort in it.

_It's no Crocea Mors, but it's still a passable weapon. _As per Roman's instruction, I had spent the past few days staking out the weapons shop that housed Crocea Mors. The shop closed every night at 23:00. I knew that the shopkeeper left every night at 23:30 after having armed his alarm, and doing a sweep of the shop to check that all of the locks were in fact locked. That seemed a perfect window of opportunity for me, the alarm not yet activated, and the shop keep still there.

Roman agreed with me, saying that it would be the perfect time to strike. He told me that this could happen whenever I was ready, once I had created my plan of attack. The theory was that I didn't need any goons to do this. At most, I would need Neo should things go horribly wrong. Even then, the police wouldn't arrive at the scene for about a minute and a half. That was enough time to do a smash and grab of the weapon if it came to that.

I came back from my thoughts as I pushed into the Club. It was still a bit early for there to be anyone present, though some patrons were sitting at the bar drinking their sorrows away. I moved to take a seat at the far end of the bar, catching Junior's eye as I did so.

The large man came to meet me, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Jaune, I'm amazed that you weren't carried in with a gunshot wound again." Junior teased.

I rolled my eyes. "One time. You get shot one time, and they hold it over you forever." Junior just snickered. "If you don't mind, get me some whiskey. I don't care what kind, just the bottle and a glass."

Junior rose a brow at me, though didn't question it. He returned shortly thereafter with two glasses and the bottle. He poured a drink for each of us. "So, what's brought you here, kid?"

"Boredom, I guess. Roman's off tending to important business, and Neo is… I don't know, torturing a puppy for entertainment maybe?" I took the glass in hand, taking a long drink. It was relatively cheap, though I couldn't say as that bothered me at all.

"Been left all alone by your friends so you come to see me. I'm touched." Junior said with the most sarcastic tone of voice I've ever heard.

"Mmm. Something like that." I took another drink, leaning against the bar.

"How's the training treating you? Last I heard, Neo was the one given the task of beating you senseless until you figured it out."

"Well, she still does. Though, rather than it happening almost instantly, I can hold her back for a few moments. Roman has further taken to teaching me to fight dirty. Something about there being no such thing as a fair fight and all that." I took a drink from the glass, enjoying the burning feeling as it slid down my throat.

Junior snickered and nodded, taking a sip of his own drink. "He's not wrong. Especially not in your line of work."

"Maybe not, but damn if he's not brutal about it." I shook my head and finished off my first glass. Junior promptly poured me another.

"He's got to figure that he has to be. Best way to teach you might be through pain, let you see his tricks in action and how effective they are." I rose a rather skeptical brow at Junior. He only shrugged. "I'm not a huntsman, kid. I'm handy enough in a fight, though that comes with the territory."

I nodded slowly. "Say, Junior? You know that Roman attended Beacon, right?" The man nodded, rocking back on his heels slightly. "Do you know why he became a criminal then? I mean, he was set to become one of the heroes of Remnant, fighting off the Grimm and protecting humanity and all that. Why turn to crime when that opportunity is presented to you?"

Junior frowned, taking another sip of his drink. "He and his team had some… Disagreements I suppose you could say. I don't know the full story, but they were present at the fall of Mt. Glenn. Something happened there, and their team broke apart. Roman left that life behind, and shortly thereafter, he became the man you know today."

"Huh." I didn't get anything new out of that, though I had the suspicion that Junior wasn't telling me everything.

"Why're you asking, kid?"

"Just… Curious, I guess. He mentioned something about it, though didn't want to open up about it. I thought maybe they died or something, but I dunno. What you said makes it sound like they're all still out there, somewhere." I took another long drink from my glass. _Didn't I say I wouldn't ever drink like this again? Bah, who cares._

"Let's put it like this, kid. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you. Not my place to divulge his secrets." Junior said, finishing off his drink and setting it back on the counter.

"Right… Another thing, Junior. I've been wondering, do you have any guess why Roman would take a nobody like me in? I mean, it doesn't make sense to me."

"Well, kid. I can't say I know anymore what goes on in his head than you do." Junior paused for a moment, rubbing at his jaw. "Though if I had to take a shot in the dark, I'd say you remind him of something. Maybe himself when he was younger, maybe something else. If you're curious, just ask him."

I nodded slowly, staring off into my now empty glass once again. "You're right, Junior. If I want to know, I ask him, not you." I smiled, looking up to the older barkeep.

He shrugged, taking his glass off the counter and cleaning it out with a rag. "Anything else you're wanting to ask me? Maybe the origin of Neo, or why the Grimm exist?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, because you definitely know all that."

Junior snickered and shrugged a shoulder. "You don't get to being the best information broker in Vale without knowing a thing or two."

A moment or two later, an older man came and sat down next to me. He was tall, almost lanky looking, and had long black hair that was slowly giving way to gray. "Junior." He said simply.

Junior sighed. "Qrow." He walked away for a moment, returning with a new bottle of whiskey and another glass for the older man. "There a reason you're here, or are you just going to terrorize my customers?"

I narrowed my eyes as I looked over the new man – Qrow, Junior called him. He didn't seem all that much, though appearances were deceiving. All you had to do was look at Neo.

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Please, Junior. If that were what I was here to do, I'd have a squad of VPD backing me up." He glanced at me for a moment, arching a brow as he skimmed me over. "Didn't know you hired 'em this young, Junior. Or let them drink on the job."

Junior rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Qrow?"

Qrow turned his gaze back to Junior and chuckled. "What, I can't come in to get completely smashed? I thought that was kinda your whole shtick, swindling people out of money by getting them blind drunk."

"Usually when you're here, you're here on business. I'll ask again, Qrow. What do you want?" Junior sounded slightly agitated, and if the glare he was focusing on Qrow was anything to go by, the two didn't have that great of a relationship.

Qrow chuckled and waved a hand, downing his whole glass in one gulp. "You're no fun, you know that Junior? All business with you. Relax, lighten up. We're all friends here." Qrow held a smirk on his lips as he met Junior's glare.

"'We're all friends here.' My ass we are, Qrow." Qrow feigned hurt at Junior's words. "Just tell me what you want and get out of my Club."

Qrow's gaze rounded on me once more. "Why don't we leave the brat here while we have a chat?" I found myself feeling on edge under his gaze, though didn't back down.

"Fine. I'll be back out shortly, kid." Junior said. I offered him a nod as he led Qrow into a back room of some description.

To me, Qrow didn't feel like a criminal. He didn't have that sort of air about him like Roman or Neo do. No, he felt like a huntsman. He had that presence of quiet confidence, as well as a tinge of paranoia. It was hard to place, though he didn't carry himself like a criminal would. I had to wonder why Junior worked with a huntsman, though it didn't sound like it was of his own free will.

_Junior is being forced into this? No, that doesn't make any sense. As far as anyone can see, his business is legitimate. If any of his goons get caught in an arrest, he could easily say they were working outside of his knowledge and that would be the end of that._

_There's no real telling, I guess. Junior might not care, and work on both sides of the law because in his mind lien is lien. Then the question is would he sell me or Roman out? I'd have to guess not, seeing as Roman is still walking free, and as am I. Junior might be willing to work for lien regardless of the law, but he has loyalties, maybe?_

My thoughts came to an end when Qrow and Junior returned. Qrow was looking rather smug and pleased with himself, while Junior was still glaring at the man. "Alright, brat. What's your deal, why you work for this old man?" Qrow asked, eyeing me up and down with a curious gaze.

"What?" I asked, not really catching on to his meaning.

"What do you mean, 'what?' You're clearly one of Junior's goons here, you've got the whole getup going nicely there. Though it doesn't look like that suit fits all that well." Qrow rounded on Junior. "I never took you for a cheapskate, not willing to get your boys suits that fit. For shame, Junior." To Junior's credit, he only rolled his eyes.

I blinked, looking down at the suit I was wearing. It was the same as all of the goons that worked the bar. "Oh, that."

"Yes, brat. That."

"Well, I mean, I guess things just sorta panned out that way, I guess. Junior found me in some need, and hired me on. Pay is decent, so I've got nothing to complain about." I drained my glass once again, allowing Junior to refill it for me once more.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Qrow didn't seem to believe me at all. "You got a name, or am I just gonna call you brat all night?"

"Right, well, the name's Jaune. Just Jaune." Junior subtly nodded, indicating that I'd done well enough.

"Right then, Just Jaune, why're you here working for this old geezer?" Junior rolled his eyes, Qrow snickered quietly

"I sorta pissed off my family. They kicked me out. Disowned me, that whole deal… I was left on the streets and Junior picked me up." The best lies are mixed with some truth, right?

Qrow hummed quietly, nodding as he downed another full glass in one shot. "Y'know, kid, you remind me of a particular blonde-haired blue-eyed bastard. Got that same dopey look on your face he had a lot of the time." He narrowed his yes, and I found myself shifting uncomfortably.

I glanced to Junior, pleading for help with my eyes. The man only shrugged, almost as though saying 'what can you do?' I looked back to Qrow and shrugged. "Okay? I guess?"

Qrow shrugged a shoulder. "Eh, whatever." He said, looking back to Junior then. He finished off his glass of whiskey in one go again. I found it incredible that he could manage that, considering it took me three or four swigs to finish mine off.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder, glancing back I saw none other than Neo. I couldn't help but to sigh. "I'm amazed you found me. Done punting puppies off a cliff for the night?" I asked, taking another drink from my glass. Neo rolled her eyes, scanning the bar. I hadn't been paying much attention, but the Club had gotten a fair bit busier, most of the bar was filled up.

Neo saw this and thought up the best solution. She sat in my lap. I froze, completely unsure of what to do now that this had happened. I didn't know how to sit, where to put my hands. This was bad. One wrong move, and I'm sure that she'll find a way to disembowel me slowly and painfully.

Qrow groaned, shaking his head. "Blonde-haired blue-eyed bastards… Every. Single. Time." He grumbled to himself. He got to his feet, slapping a pile of lien cards on the counter, taking the whole bottle of whiskey with him. "I'll be waiting, Junior." He said, pushing his way through the club and out into Vale.

Neo made no move to leave her perch on my lap, seeming rather content. Junior looked rather amused, shaking his head. "I'll assume it's the usual for you, Neo?" The small girl nodded once. "Right. I'll be back shortly then." Junior then turned and left the two of us alone.

"I, uh, Neo? D-do you mind? There's an open seat right there." I, for one, was now without any protection from the little psychopath. Junior had left me to my fate, Qrow had just grumbled to himself and wandered away. Nobody to save me from the terror that was sat in my lap.

Neo turned to look at me, tapped her lips a few times and then nodded, an absolutely evil grin playing over her lips. She shifted a bit on my lap, seeming to get more comfortable. I felt my heart leap into my throat. _This is fine, Jaune. You're gonna be fine. Just stay calm, and everything will be okay._

That was easier thought than done. I reached around the small girl, retrieving my glass that was on the bar top. That had the unforeseen consequence of having me press firmly against her back. I quickly retreated, feeling heat creep into my neck as I took a long drink from my glass of whiskey.

Neo, however, didn't seem even remotely bothered. As a matter of fact, she leaned back into my chest, still attempting to get comfortable in my lap. I could hardly breathe. _Just… Don't think about it. Don't think about her shifting around like that in your lap. Don't think about the comfortable warmth resting against your chest. Nope. Don't think about it._

I took another long drink from my glass, not seeing Junior return. "Well, well, well. Isn't this just cute." Junior taunted, sliding some massive amalgamation of ice cream and liquor over to Neo. "When I asked how thing were, Jaune, this would've been something to bring up." Junior taunted once more.

I found myself coughing on my drink, shaking my head fervently. I could feel Neo shaking slightly, which I could only assume was laughter, seeing as Junior didn't have the fear of god in his eyes. "I – we're not – that's not – it isn't like that." I spluttered out, heat having crept all the way up my neck and into my face.

Junior continued to laugh, shaking his head as he leaned against the bar. "Oh, you make it too easy, kid. Really, you do."

I sighed. I was resigned to my fate at this point. Neo was comfortable where she was in my lap, and there was no moving her. _I mean, that's not such a bad thing, right? She's rather warm, and soft, and – NO. NO. NO. BAD. That's madness. Madness!_ "Right… So, uh, Junior, mind filling me up again?" I leaned forward, holding the glass out to the man. He shrugged and poured me another glass. _I'm too sober for this._

Junior's gaze shifted to the crowd. He glanced to us, and back out to the crowd. "Well, you kids have fun. I'm going to watch the floor for a while." He turned to leave, though paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Be sure to keep it PG-13 out here."

I spluttered again, glaring at the broad man. "JUNIOR!" I shouted, though found myself completely ignored as he walked off. I groaned, shaking my head. _Great. Fantastic._ I glanced down at Neo who was digging into her frozen treat rather ravenously, ignoring me completely. _Well, whatever._

I took another drink from my glass, enjoying the warmth that was quickly settling into my stomach and spreading. It took the edge off all of the aches that Roman and Neo inflicted on me, and quieted my constantly running mind, giving me time to just relax and rest. It felt nice.

Neo and I sat in silence for quite some time, the girl polishing off her ice cream abomination contentedly. In that time, I had drunk maybe two or three more glasses of whiskey. I wasn't all too sure. How many had I drunk so far tonight? Couldn't be more than five glasses, right? I could still think straight.

I leaned forward, setting the glass down on the counter, not reaching to pour more for myself. I closed my eyes and began humming quietly to myself, not paying much attention to what was going on. _I should ask Roman about why he took me in. Worst thing he'd do is tell me to leave it, and then bam, we're done. No problems._ I rested my hands in my lap, content with the warmth that had spread over most of my body. If I wasn't careful I could –

I felt as an elbow was shoved rather painfully into my stomach, snapping my eyes open, I saw where I'd screwed up. Neo was still sat in my lap, and I'd known that. Yet I decided I didn't care, somewhere in my addled brain. She was glaring daggers at me, looking about ready to eviscerate me on the spot. Seeing that, I spluttered, feeling a whole new heat creep up my neck and into my ears. I smiled sheepishly, not at all able to look at her. _I am SO dead. The only reason she hasn't killed me yet is because we're in public. My gravestone will say 'Here lies Jaune, eviscerated for getting handsy.' Wait… Where are my hands resting…?_ I tapped my fingers lightly, finding that they were laced together, and that I was hanging onto Neo.

_Welp, goodbye, Remnant. It's been a good run. _I quickly released Neo, drawing my hands back, holding them up. My only hope now was her having mercy and ending it quickly. I closed my eyes and awaited my fate.

And waited for a little longer.

And a bit longer.

I cracked open an eye, looking down at Neo who was silently laughing as she sat on my lap still. _I'm… Not dead…? I'm not dead. It's a damn miracle._ I slowly relaxed, feeling slightly more and more sure that my innards would remain innards. "You're… Not going to kill me?" I asked tentatively, finding myself ready to attempt to bolt if she changed her mind. Never hurts to have a backup plan, right?

Neo shook her head, rolling her eyes. I let out a breath that I had definitely been consciously holding. Neo scrunched up her nose and wafted air in front of her. She then pointed at the whiskey on the table, and then me. She tilted her head slightly at me, almost like asking a question.

"What… What are you asking here?" I asked rather dumbly.

Neo facepalmed, slowly dragging her hand down her face. She pointed at me, then at the glass I had been drinking from. She once again tilted her head slightly.

"Glass… Me… Drinking?" Neo nodded a few times. "Are you asking how much I've had to drink?" The girl nodded once more, shaking her head.

I blinked a few times, thinking on it. How many had I drunk? "I'd be surprised if I had more than five." Neo, once again facepalmed. It seems that was the wrong answer. "I don't know, Neo. I haven't been counting." I said, somewhat exasperated. Why did that matter, exactly? We weren't doing anything tonight.

Neo hopped out of my lap, and I found myself missing the comfortable warmth that she had provided. _No, wait. Bad. Bad. I can't be thinking like that. I should be happy she moved._

Neo pointed to me, and then jerked her head towards the exit, turning and walking off. _She wants me to follow her, I think?_ Trusting my first instinct, I got to my feet, finding myself somewhat disoriented. It wasn't bad, I could still walk, though I was stumbling slightly. I wasn't a complete lightweight.

I followed along behind Neo, stepping into the cool night air of Vale. It felt refreshing, and acted to relax me more than I already was. Neo stopped after a few minutes of walking, turning to look at me. I rose a brow. "What?" She tapped on her wrist, a sign I recognized to be check the time.

It wasn't all that late, only 21:00. I didn't know when I'd found my way into Junior's, but it must've been several hours ago. Great how time flies, right? "It's still early. I'm taking it you want to do something else?" Neo nodded once.

I sighed, rolling my shoulders back. Things were more than a little fuzzy, but oh well. "Anything in mind then, or is it my job to figure the rest of this date?" _Wait. Hold on there, buddy. Date? This isn't a date. This is NOT a date._

Neo blinked once, her eyes shifting colors as she stared me down. I shrugged a shoulder. "Right, so it _is_ my job to figure the rest of our night out." _What are you doing! Stop. Talking. Now._

Neo blinked once more, her eyes changing color, rather than the usual pink and brown, they were both pink now. She was still staring blankly at me, her expression unreadable. _Now, listen to me, and listen carefully. This is NOT a date. I repeat, this is NOT a date. Don't treat it as one. Don't act like it is. And most importantly, DON'T say it is. Got it? Good._

I hummed quietly, looking around. I knew where we were, or at least roughly. There was an ice cream parlor nearby, one she's probably intimately familiar with, but it was nearby none the less. "C'mon, Neo. I know this nice ice cream place close by. My treat." _I swear, you are trying to get us killed._

Neo blinked once more, her eyes still both pink as she stared me down. She shrugged then and followed behind me as I turned to leave. _How has she not stabbed us yet? It probably has something to do with buying her ice cream._ The walk was quiet, aside from the battle raging between two sides of my mind on the topic of Neo. I was generally doing my best to put it on mute, but that's hard when that's about all you're thinking.

We arrived shortly thereafter; I offered a glance down at Neo who was now grinning widely. I was amazed to find that it wasn't a grin that screamed she'd kill us all, but one of excitement. She looked better that way, I thought. _Stop it. That's off limits. It'll cut us to shreds if you so much as think of trying anything._

We pushed into the shop, the teenager behind eyeing us warily. In truth, we looked rather suspicious. A tall guy in a black and red suit, and a shorter girl with a dichromatic color scheme, it didn't paint a good picture. "W-w-welcome. H-how c-can I help you today?" The kid asked, shifting nervously on his feet.

I glanced towards Neo, and back to the kid. "Whatever she wants, and as for me… Just make it a vanilla shake." The terrified teen went about making my shake, handing it to me. I thanked him as he turned to Neo. Neo just started pointing at different tubs of ice cream that were on display, and wordlessly the boy did as was asked.

Neo came out with an amalgamation of all sorts of different flavors stacked on top of each other in a large waffle cone. I paid the bill, and stepped outside to sit and enjoy the night air, as well as the ice cream. Neo was beaming as she dug into her treat, looking rather content.

"You're welcome, by the way." I said, watching her not so subtly.

Neo hardly acknowledged me, far to focused on her cone. I quietly chuckled to myself, shaking my head as I leaned back in my chair. It was nice. I was relaxed, the night was cool, and I had avoided certain death by Neo.

Neo finished off her ice cream rather quickly, the only way I could tell was the feeling of being watched. I let my gaze trail back down from the stars to her. "Something you want to say?"

Neo frowned for a moment and shrugged a shoulder. She produced her scroll and typed something out on it, sliding the item across the table to me. _More like I'm bored._ It read.

"Uh-huh. You're bored, after I just went and bought you ice cream?" The girl nodded. I could only roll my eyes. "Typical. Got something you want to do then?" I slid the scroll back over to her. She took it back and began typing once more.

She slid it back. _Not really. Want to play a game?_ I couldn't help but to raise a brow at her, looking from the message on the scroll to her, and then back.

"A game." She nodded. I hummed quietly as I thought to myself. "What game are we talking here?"

Neo frowned as she typed for a few moments, seeming to erase her suggestions several times. Eventually, though, I had her scroll in hand again. _Why not play 20 questions. We'll go back and forth asking questions about one another. We don't have to answer, but it'll be fun._

I shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, whatever works. I take it you want the first question?" She nodded once. "Have at it." I said, sliding the scroll back to her.

It was slid back a few moments later. "What was my family like?" I hummed for a moment as I thought. "Well, I came from a big family. Seven sisters, mom, and dad. Had a whole range of personalities in there, but all in all, they were rather loving." Neo seemed to question him for a moment. "And yes, before you ask, I did say seven sisters. Let's just say that my parents were… active. Very active."

Neo closed her mouth, and shook her head. She then nodded towards me. "Mmm. My turn, then. Well, let's see. How'd you meet Roman?"

Neo frowned as she looked down at her scroll for a moment. She began typing, and after a little while, I was passed her scroll. _Long story, one that I don't want to tell. Short form is that Roman picked me up from a bad predicament and helped me along. Been with him ever since. My turn now. Why'd you run away from your family if they were loving?_

I sighed, shaking my head. "Eh, screw it. Ever since I was a kid, I'd wanted to be a huntsman, just like my old man. He wasn't a fan of that idea. No matter how much I badgered and harassed him, he said no and left me to figure it out on my own." I paused for a moment, thinking on my next words. "You've seen how bad I am with fighting. That in mind, I got bullied a lot at school. Bigger kids pushed me around and beat me up, whole deal. My sisters had none of that though, and always stepped in to stop it."

"I never got to fight my own battles, y'know? Always made me feel helpless, like I needed others to keep me safe. It was sorta like I was useless and a failure because I couldn't defend myself at all. Felt like it at least." I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "Still, I was dead set on coming to Beacon. My family told me no, and that I should stay home and all that nonsense. My father went so far as to forbit it. I didn't listen. I didn't even care that he forbade it at all. I stole my dad's sword, and our rainy-day money and caught a train to Vale."

Neo shrugged and nodded her head. "Yeah, wasn't my best decision, but oh well." I hummed for a moment as I thought to myself. "My turn. Why'd you become a criminal?"

Neo didn't hesitate on her response, sliding the scroll to me once she was done. _Simple. I didn't have a choice. It was become a criminal or starve to death. Assassination only became a skill after I discovered my semblance. My turn. Why not go back home? I'm sure they'd accept you back willingly._

I chuckled and shook my head. "You're right, Neo. They would accept me back willingly. As far as why I don't? Because I've got something here that I never did back home. I've got freedom. I can do what I want, for the most part. I've got options open to me, and nobody that matters telling me I can't. Sure, you and Roman both are criminals hated by most of Vale, and can be a bit rough, but you offered me a chance. I'd be stupid to spit on that and leave it behind to be a nobody in the middle of a backwater town in Vale where I'd be controlled by my family who mean well, but don't help." I leaned back in my chair, resting my hands behind my head. "I made my decision when I signed on with Roman knowing who he was. I'm in too deep now, because I'm sure that if I tried to leave, you'd kill me before I took a step out of Vale."

I hummed as I looked up at the stars. "My turn now." I trailed off, closing my eyes for a time. "Why invest so much in me? Both you and Roman I mean. I was a nobody when you met me, and I still am. I'm just about useless for everything other than knocking around, yet you and Roman both are taking a lot of time to train and help me. Why?"

The only sound to follow for a few moments was quiet tapping as Neo responded. I felt the scroll bump into my leg signaling her answer. _I don't know. Roman never explained it to me. You just showed up, and Roman decided you'd be worth taking in. Made it my responsibility to ensure you don't die easily, and here we are. It doesn't make sense to me, but there's nothing to do about it now. You're part of the team. My turn. Why put yourself down so much? You might be bad, but we all were at the start. It takes time to become good._

I shrugged a shoulder. "Because I'm realistic, I guess. I'm a big screw up. To you and Roman, I'm more a liability than an asset at the moment. To my family, I wasn't ever someone who could handle it on my own, just somebody to be looked after. While I might become good in time, Roman's already said we don't have a lot of that. That's why he's training me along side you, rushing to get me to an effective level as fast as he can so I won't be a weight on the two of you, I guess." I sighed, shaking my head. Talking like I knew what Roman's plans were, I didn't know a thing. That was all speculation. "My turn again. Do you think we can trust Junior?"

Neo frowned at me. Her response came quickly. _I think so. He's not done anything to rat us out to the VPD yet, or the huntsmen. Why?_

"Because, that guy who walked out shortly after you walked in? I'm pretty sure he's a huntsman, and paid Junior quite a hefty sum for information on something."

Neo shrugged a shoulder. _He's an information broker. That's his whole business. I'll bring it up to Roman, but Junior has yet to stab either me or Roman in the back yet._

"If you say so, Neo." I said quietly, looking back up at the stars.

Neo remained quiet for a while, no tapping as she typed, no sliding the scroll across the table for me to read. I glanced down and found that she was doing rather similar as I was. I couldn't help but to let a small smile creep on my lips.

"You know anything about the stars? Constellations or anything like that?" I asked, eyeing her. She looked back to me and shook her head. I could only grin. "I know where we can get a better look at them, if you're interested."

Neo shook her head, getting up to her feet. I followed suit, as the pair of us walked back to the apartment in silence. I was surprised to find that it was more comfortable than it was awkward or forced.

By the time we returned to the apartment, it was around 00:15. Roman was nowhere to be seen still. I made my way to the couch, not feeling all too tired as of yet. I took my seat and lounged back, flicking on the TV. It was on a news report, nothing of major interest. There had been a break in at a local weapons shop, with only the lien and a few weapons stolen. I was about to start flipping the channels when they started displaying images of the stolen weapons.

There, first and foremost on the list, was none other than Crocea Mors. I felt my blood boil. Of course, the shop that had my sword in it had to get robbed by someone other than me, and of course they took Crocea Mors too. "God damnit!" I shouted, slamming my fist against the coffee table. I found myself glaring at the TV, not because it did anything but because it was the messenger.

_Okay, deep breath. This is fine. You're just going to have to track the sword down again. That shouldn't be hard. It's in the hands of the criminal underground. If I had to guess, Junior might be able to get me some leads, give me an idea as to who has it._

Neo was stood behind the couch, watching the news report scrolling by. The thief wasn't all too smart about how he did things. Broke in through the front door and tripped the alarm. He panicked and took the lien in the register, as well as taking the weapons that were marked as the most valuable. The news was showing a zoomed in shot from the security cameras of his face. It was grainy and awful quality, but it was something to go on.

"Just my luck… Gets better and better every damn day." I muttered to myself. Neo didn't do anything, leaving me to my own shortly thereafter. I growled quietly, shaking my head as I listened to the rest of the news report. Junior had better know who this kid is, and where I can find him. He is the best information broker in Vale after all.

[-/-]

"Alright, kid. Let's see what you can do." Roman came rushing at me. He was fast, though compared to Neo, he seemed to be moving almost in slow motion. I dodged off to one side, avoiding the first swing of his cane. Roman spun to face me quickly, taking aim with his weapon and firing. I dodged off to one side, coming in close to him.

I made a downwards slash aimed for his chest, though found it quickly intercepted by his cane. I growled and stepped in closer, bringing a knee up and into his crotch. That had Roman grit his teeth though press on, shoving me off.

I stumbled back, and was promptly given no opportunity to recover. Roman kept on top of me, finding a way to get my feet out from under me, sending me to the floor. I grit my teeth in response and rolled off to one side, coming up onto one knee, I managed to intercept his cane with my blade before it made impact with my head.

I threw him off, pulling myself onto my feet once more. I was watching Roman carefully, hoping to see some nature of misstep, something I could abuse. _If I can just get him on the ground, I might be able to pull this out from under him._

This time, I charged forward, making it look like I was going to slash for his chest once more. I did not, instead swiping low for his feet. Roman dodged back expertly, though had a grin on his lips. I didn't let up on my assault either, as long as I had the advantage of being on the attack, I would press it.

I managed to get his cane locked with my blade once more, and it became a battle of strength, one that I would assuredly lose. I brought my blade into the hook of his cane and used it against him, dragging it up and away from him. Roman released the weapon almost instantly, letting me send it flying across the room. I was quite promptly met with a jab right into my nose.

I growled and attempted to bring my blade to bear against him. Roman seemed unimpressed as he stepped farther into my guard, bringing an elbow down into my collarbone. That wasn't where he stopped either, then sweeping my legs out from under me, I was sent down to the concrete for a second time.

In a desperate attempt to get him off of me, I threw my sword up at him. It worked, making him hesitate for just a moment. I surged up, pulling him down to the floor with me. I managed to land two solid blows to his jaw before I was thrown off him once again. Disoriented, I found that I was pinned down by Roman, and that he showed no mercy. I quickly found a knee in my crotch, and then a jab into my throat, making it incredibly hard to breathe.

Roman kept up his assault for another few seconds, before letting up. He had a wide smile on his lips, and a slight sheen of sweat covering him. "You're a quick study, kid. You might yet stand a chance of getting to my level."

I chuckled, pushing myself up into a sitting position. "Yeah. You're just lucky I'm hungover. I would've had you otherwise."

Roman laughed at that, shaking his head. "In your dreams, kid. Maybe once you've had years of training, then we'll talk."

"Uh-huh. You're just not willing to admit that I'm catching up quickly."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Definitely." He paused for a moment. "You are doing well though, Jaune. Put me on the back foot once or twice. I can see you've got the concepts well enough, though what you're struggling with is how hard you're hitting. You don't seem to follow up each and every engage you make." Roman took a moment to think. "Like when you got my cane off me, you didn't press your advantage with your sword. You let me get in close and send you packing. In that sort of situation, you use your reach to your advantage. Make me fight on the defensive. You corner me, and then put me down easy."

I nodded along as Roman explained what had happened. This was why I liked training with Roman more. While Neo would just wail and wail on me silently, leaving me to try and piece together what to do, Roman actually explains what I do wrong. It's a small improvement, but a welcome one. "Right. Put more behind my blows, press my advantage. Learn to better read the fight. Got it." I nodded, pulling myself up to my feet.

I extended a hand to Roman who took it and used me to help himself up. "Good fight, kid. We'll keep at it." I nodded, letting my hand fall back to my side.

"We're going to be talking to Junior today, yeah?" I asked, stretching out my sore muscles.

"Not quite. This is your endeavor, kid. Your sword, your business talk with him. Don't sweat it, though. Junior like you, you'll be fine." Roman said rather dismissively.

I shrugged a shoulder. "Right." I shook my head. Roman was right, I was friends with Junior. This wouldn't be an issue.

Roman and I returned to the apartment. Neo was sprawled over the couch, watching her awful 'comedy' show once again. I didn't get it, really. It was a bunch of Atlas super geniuses who all managed to make me seem socially adjusted. The stories that they told were mundane and boring, their 'jokes' weren't all that funny, and the characters were generally annoying. Despite that, Neo loved it.

Roman went off to take a shower, meaning I'd have to wait before I could go and talk to Junior. I plopped down on the other end of the couch from Neo, kicking my feet up on the coffee table. Neo lightly kicked my side to get my attention. "Yes, Neo?"

She tilted her head and pointed towards the bathroom where Roman was. "Yeah, he beat me to the floor again. Expect that to be the case for a long while. He's a huntsman, I'm a two-bit thug." I said, closing my eyes under the assumption that the conversation was over.

It wasn't. Neo kicked me a bit harder in the side, eliciting a groan from me. She pointed at my sword then, tilting her head once again. "Maybe I'll do better once I have Crocea Mors, maybe not. For as much as I don't like this thing, it's comfortable. It might be a step backwards in the short term with Crocea, but several forwards in the long run, I think."

Neo tapped her lips as she was thinking. She pointed at me, then to my sword, and then the door. I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what she was saying. _Me, sword, door? What? Okay, think it through. My sword that I'm replacing, that's the exit… I think I got it._ "You're asking if I'm leaving to talk to Junior today?" Neo frowned and then shrugged. _Close enough._ "Yeah, once I get a shower, I'm headed over there, why?"

Neo pointed to herself, me, and then the door. "You're wanting to come with me?" She nodded once. "Sure, I guess. Doesn't matter to me either way." Neo smiled slightly, focusing back on the TV. I shrugged my shoulders, closing my eyes and resting while I could.

Roman rejoined us about fifteen minutes later. "All yours, kid." He said slapping me on the shoulder. I nodded, getting up and heading into the bathroom with a change of clothes.

I emerged from a hot shower feeling a whole lot better than earlier. My tense muscles were loosened up a bit, and I no longer smelled like a dead dog. Roman was nowhere to be seen, though Neo was still sprawled over the couch. I shrugged, taking the remote and flipping the TV off.

Neo, who normally would've pouted and attacked me for turning her show off, didn't react at all. I looked over the back of the couch, and she was out cold. See, here's the issue with this. I told her she could come with me, and if I don't take her, she'll be upset with me. Then again, there's always the task of waking her up. The safe distance, as I learned the hard way, was considered to be half way across Remnant. Deep underground, just to be safe.

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek as I weighed my options. _Wake her up, and face the wrath of a tiny psychotic woman, or let her sleep and face the wrath of a tiny psychotic woman. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Fantastic._ I sighed and let my hand rest gently on her shoulder. "Neo, if you're coming with me to Junior's, you're gonna have to get up."

I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst.

In about half a second, I had been pulled over the back of the couch and sent down onto the floor, and was faced with a glaring Neo who looked about ready to kill me right on the spot. I put my hands up in surrender. "You're the one who wanted to come with me." I tried to reason.

Neo narrowed her eyes at me and then started to pout. I rolled my eyes; I was safe now. "Don't give me that. You have no right to be upset with me, considering you're the one who wanted to come with." Her pout only worsened as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not gonna work, Neo. Remember, seven sisters? Now get off so we can go." I said, unaffected by her rather adorable pout. _Just… Please, can we not find the tiny psychotic assassin cute? Can't we be more attracted to something that isn't insane and liable to rip your throat out? No? God, you must have a death wish._

Neo grumbled silently to herself but got off my chest. I sat up and joined her once again. I jammed my hands into my pockets and set off with Neo in tow. I was humming quietly to myself as Neo and I walked through the streets of Vale this afternoon. It was quiet, few other people walking on the streets at all.

Our walk was uneventful, to say the least. I didn't find myself thinking much on anything, just enjoying the afternoon. Now, stood before Junior's, I sighed. _Let's see where Crocea Mors is._

I pushed through the front doors. Junior was once again stood behind the bar, rubbing it down idly. His eyes tracked to myself and Neo. The older man could only grin as we approached. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite love birds. How're you doing, Jaune? She go easy on you last night?" I felt heat creeping into my neck as I rolled my eyes.

"W-we're not… Like that, Junior." I muttered out. The older man's grin only grew.

"Really, she's the submissive one? I never would've thought that'd be her thing." Junior taunted with a grin.

My flush only got worse, as I now found that I couldn't look at Neo either. Great. I found myself glaring at Junior. "You're quite the comedian. Are we done now?" I managed to get out, not exactly enjoying the warmth that had crept up my neck and into my ears.

Junior nodded, waving a dismissive hand. "Yeah, we're done. Had to get some teasing in, all in good fun." I glanced back at Neo, and she was glaring at Junior as well. And I swore I saw a slight blush fading from her cheeks, though that could've been my imagination.

I coughed, shaking my head. "Right, Junior, I've got a favor to ask of you." The barman nodded, still wiping down the bar. "So, last night there was a break in at a local weapons shop, right?" Junior frowned as he thought, nodding after a moment. "Yeah, so in that break in, the thief took something that belongs to me. I want to know what you can tell me about him, who he is, where he lives, where he works. Everything."

Junior had arched a brow at me. "Something in that weapons shop belonged to you, huh?" I nodded, leaning forward on the counter. Junior shrugged. "Yeah, I know the kid. Some two-bit criminal who fancies himself an arms dealer. This isn't his first break in like that either, he's taken all sorts of stuff from other shops." I nodded, listening intently. "Anything more, and I'm gonna need some lien. Business is business, Jaune."

I rolled my eyes and produced several lien cards. It totaled five hundred. "That should cover it. Call the rest payment for my tab last night." Junior took it in hand and nodded appreciatively.

"Works for me." Junior said, pocketing the cash. "Kid's name is Nathan. He lives not too far from that particular shop, just a block down. Runs his operation out of an old van he parks around town. I'll send you his common spots later." Junior frowned for a moment. "Be careful with him. He's associated with one of the crime families, might be more dangerous than he looks."

I nodded, glancing back towards Neo who was playing on her scroll not too far away, likely listening in. "Anything else you can tell me? He have any fighting ability?"

Junior shrugged a shoulder. "Not that I've heard, no. Should be easy to walk over him if you've got to."

I grinned and nodded, getting up from my seat at the bar. "Thanks, Junior. I'll see you later tonight." I looked to Neo, maintaining my wide grin. "What do you say we pay this Nathan kid a visit, Neo?" The sadistic smile that spread over her lips was terrifying. She was going to have fun with this.

Neo and I pushed out of Junior's Club, and headed in the direction of Nathan's safehouse. This was going to be fun.

* * *

**And we continue Jaune's life as a criminal. Fun stuff.**

**JaunexNeo anyone? No? Just me? Alright, that's fine. I'll pack this up and quietly leave then. Nah, I'm just kidding. I haven't even decided if I'll give this story a pairing or not. Regardless of if I do, it won't be listed in the characters. It's better that way, I think. Keeps people guessing, even if Neo is the only female character I've got listed. You don't know, maybe Ruby will steal the show here, somehow.**

**Let's see... Oh, right. I've so far got one request for shorter chapters from my buddy Exiled Darkness if it means I publish more often, and I appreciate the feedback. Speaking of you, Exiled, to answer your question about Jaune's semblance, we will see. Maybe I'll give him his semblance, maybe I won't. Maybe It'll be the same, maybe it won't. I know, of course, but you all are in the dark. Ahh, the wonders of knowing how the story will go and how it'll end.**

**To X3, I'm glad you are liking Neo and Ruby. Neo is a big mainstay of this whole story, and Ruby has her time in the sun every so often. And on your question as to if he'll get a fresh outfit rather than the black goon suit, the answer is yes. I've got it all designed, and planned out, but that's a few chapters in the making yet. We've still got to get Crocea back.**

**Still, I've got to wonder if I'm writing combat well. I can't tell, to me it makes some sense, but it might well be a jumbled mess that's hard to read for everyone else. Tell me in the reviews, and if you've got pointers for writing combat, I'd love to hear them. If you've got anything else to say either, theories, questions, whatever just drop them in the comments and you will feature in my ending AN like X3 and Exiled Darkness here.**

**I've also got to continue my hunt for a Beta, they're harder to find than I'd think. Lots of people are busy or just don't respond to PMs. Oh well, I continue my hunt. Again, if you guys know anyone who is willing to and can Beta, send them my way. I'd love to get a second set of eyes to look this over for stupid mistakes I miss.**

**So yeah, be sure to drop a follow / fav if you enjoyed and want to know when I update and want to support this story, and my will to keep publishing new updates.**

**Next Update: Friday, April 12th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another Friday, another chapter of Criminally Good to end the week.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 5]

I felt my scroll buzz in my jacket pocket. I dug it out and found that it was Junior who had messaged me. There was no text, just a map of Vale with several places marked with glaring red Xs. I could only assume that these were the arms dealer's common spots to peddle his goods. That would prove useful if he wasn't at his home.

Neo and I pushed through the minor crowds on the streets of Vale, though to say that wouldn't be completely accurate. Most of them parted for Neo and, by proxy, me. They all saw the twisted, sadistic grin that was on her lips, as well as the challenge to try and get in her way. Anyone capable of rational thought got out of the way.

Neo and I arrived shortly after we had left. The building that this arms dealer called home was a dump. The apartment block looked to be just barely standing, be it shattered windows dotted all over the place, or crumbling brickwork, it was not exactly a welcoming sight.

Neo looked back to me, her predatory grin setting me on edge. I knew it wasn't directed at me, but it still had that effect. _Alright, this is it. This is where I get Crocea Mors back._ I nodded to her with a slight smile tugging at the corners of my lips. Neo turned back to the apartment block and pushed in to the building with me right behind her.

Now, if I thought that the outside was bad, the inside was worse. The stench reminded me something of a rotting corpse and urine. I gagged upon entering, feeling my eyes water slightly. I shook my head and pressed on to follow after Neo.

Neo didn't seem all that bothered by the stench, or if she was, she didn't show it openly. I paused a moment to think. _We don't know what apartment is his._ I sighed and tapped Neo on the shoulder. She looked back and cocked her head slightly in question. "I don't recall Junior telling us which apartment was his." I stated. Neo frowned for a moment and then shrugged. _Great, she doesn't know either._

I dug my scroll out of my jacket and sent a text to Junior.

_Jaune: Any chance you could tell me what apartment is his?_

_Junior: Sorry, bud. Can't help you there._

I groaned and shook my head. _Of course, he doesn't know._ I pocketed my scroll once again and looked to Neo. "Well, our options are to start kicking down doors, settle in for a stakeout, or search each of his common spots. Any preference?"

Neo tapped her lips for a moment and then seemed to get an idea. She produced her scroll and typed out a response to me. _How about I stay here and stakeout the apartments while you go and check his common spots. We'll run a better chance of finding him that way._

I nodded as I read over her message. "Makes sense to me. If either of us get eyes on him, get in contact with the other, yeah?" Neo nodded as I tossed her scroll back to her. "Got it."

I turned and made to leave the apartment block when Neo tapped my shoulder again. "What?" I asked, turning to look back at her. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. I arched a brow at that. "What are you trying to say?" Neo scoffed and waved a dismissive hand.

Bewildered, I shook my head and left the apartments behind me. It felt like I could breathe again, which was a blessing to be free of that stench._ I wonder what Neo was trying to tell me? It's not like this is a dangerous job. This Nathan guy is a two bit criminal at best, nothing I couldn't handle if I had to. It couldn't be that she's worried about me?_

I chuckled and shook my head. _Couldn't be. She doesn't care about anyone other than her, and maybe Roman. Even that's a tossup, I think._ As I wandered around the area, I realized that I had no real idea where exactly it was that I was going.

I sighed and pulled up the map Junior had sent me. _This kid parks all over Vale… This is gonna be a long night._

I shoved my scroll back into my pocket and made my way to the nearest place he frequented, my hand resting idly on the hilt of my blade.

[-/-]

It was nearing 01:00 and I had found nothing. Each of his spots empty. I had exhausted most of them, though there were two in close proximity left to check. _Of course, it'd be my luck that the last places I check are where he's at. What else would it be?_ I grumbled more or less to myself as I pressed onwards into Vale.

My feet ached, my stomach was empty, and I was feeling slightly chilly. Needless to say, I was not in the best of moods. My scroll buzzed, and I could only assume that it was Neo. We had made a habit of checking in once an hour.

_Neo: Still no sign of him. Anything on your end?_

_Jaune: Not a thing. Last two spots I checked were duds. Only have two more. If they're dead, I'm heading back to the apartment._

_Neo: Tell me when you finish up. Dunno about you, but I'm hungry._

_Jaune: What, is this a thinly veiled attempt to get me to buy you dinner?_

_Neo: Someone's cocky._

_Jaune: It's easy to do when I'm not in stabbing distance._

_Neo: You're always in stabbing distance._

_Jaune: That… Scares me more than I'd care to admit._

_Neo: Good._

_Neo: And to answer your question, you are buying me dinner for making me sit around and watch this shitty apartment building all day._

_Jaune: You're the one who wanted to come with me._

_Neo: Still in stabbing distance._

_Jaune: Fine, fine. You win._

_Neo: Good boy. I'll be waiting._

I sighed and shook my head, pocketing my scroll once more. _Always in stabbing distance. Yeah, that's definitely gonna haunt my nightmares._ Despite the maybe idle threat from Neo, I pressed onwards. I was nearing one of my targets, and I had to have my head in the game.

Much to my surprise, there was an old, beat up, dingy white van parked in the alleyway. There was a young man sat on the hood of said van, messing around on his scroll by the looks of him. I felt my breath catch in my throat. _Okay, this is it. This is the guy, has to be._ I glanced around, not seeing any form of security with him, though I wasn't sure.

He didn't seem to notice me; he was far too focused on his scroll and whatever he was doing with it. I slowly turned back and crept away, doing my best to be quiet. I was convinced that even the slightest noise I made would alert him to my presence.

Once I had gotten myself a fair distance away, I produced my scroll once again and texted Neo.

_Jaune: I found him._

_Neo: Oh good. Where are you?_

_Jaune: Over near the warehouse district. I'll send you my location._

_Neo: Got it. On my way._

I sighed as I closed my scroll and pocketed it once more. _We found him. By proxy, we found Crocea Mors as well._ I couldn't help but to grin as I found myself leaning back against the wall of an alleyway. I slid down it, resting my aching feet as I awaited my psychopathic backup.

_There's always the chance that by the time Neo gets here, he's left._ I frowned at that thought, shaking my head. _While true, where else is he gonna go? Back to his apartment? It'd be easy to catch him out there. He's got nowhere to go._

I couldn't help but to frown at that thought too. Something felt off, something not quite right. Though the question was what? _Whatever. If it's really important it'll come to me._ I closed my eyes and waited patiently for Neo to arrive.

I was shaken from my resting position by a not so soft kick to my side. I groaned and glared up at Neo who was smiling innocently. "You could've just tapped my shoulder or something." I grumbled, pushing myself back onto my feet. Neo rolled her eyes and motioned for me to take the lead.

"Right, let's get my sword back." I said, feeling a surge of confidence now that I had Neo at my back. She might be psychotic and one of the evilest people I know, but she's not about to let someone else kill me before she gets the chance. I hope.

I led Neo back to the alleyway that the van was parked in, finding that the only change was the lack of Nathan sitting on the hood. Upon further examination, I noted that the back doors to the van were open. _Maybe working with a client?_ I shrugged a shoulder, offering a glance back to Neo. She looked rather amused, a sadistic grin splitting her features in two. "C'mon, then. Let's pay this Nathan kid a visit."

As Neo and I neared the old van, the quiet sound of conversation made its way to my ears. I strained, doing my best to listen in on what they were saying, though found only mumbling, as well as the distinct note of four people discussing something.

I glanced over to Neo who was stood next to me, eyeing me with an arched brow. I tilted my head slightly to one side in question. She pointed at the back side of the van. _She's ready to go. Wants to just rush in and wreak havoc on those poor souls._ I nodded, watching as her grin grew to immense proportions.

Neo rather casually strolled out; her parasol balanced over her shoulder as she rounded the back of the van. Almost instantly, conversation stopped. I emerged to join Neo shortly thereafter, letting my hand rest on the hilt of my sword.

There were, in fact, six people here. Two had been silent as the others were speaking. Likely bodyguards, if I had to guess. There was, of course, Nathan who I recognized from when he was sat lazily on the hood of his van. The kid looked on edge, and about ready to bolt at any sign of trouble that was assuredly going to come.

The others were dressed in suits, not all that dissimilar to mine. Though rather than theirs being a black and red goon suit, they were in gray and white. Personally, I found it incredibly dull. At least with the goon suit, I had some color on me.

The other thing that was notable was that they were all armed. The two body guards were clearly resting their hands on their pistols that were hidden within their suits, staring me and Neo down, almost as if daring us to make a move.

Nathan appeared to be unarmed, though I didn't think for a second that an arms dealer was unarmed. That would just be plain and simple stupidity. The three people he was talking with were glaring at me as well now, their hands resting on blades that hung at their hips, almost identical to what I was wielding.

"Who're you?" Nathan asked, looking between me and Neo.

I only grinned as I took a step forward. They didn't seem all that intimidated. "Just someone here to retrieve something that belongs to me." I said as confidently as I could manage. The truth was that I was terrified, though showing that was definitely a bad idea.

Nathan narrowed his eyes at me. "An' wha' makes ya' think tha' I've got wha' ya' are lookin' for?"

I chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno, maybe it has something to do with seeing you on the news last night, as well as seeing my sword on the list of stolen items." Neo stepped forward to stand beside me. "Now, we can make this nice and easy; you give me the sword and shield, and I walk away. You keep peddling stolen goods, and I have my sword. Sound like a deal?" False confidence was always better than no confidence at all. Right?

Right.

It wasn't Nathan who spoke up, rather an older man who had his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. If I had to guess, he was in his late forties or so, with long brown hair that had signs of gray creeping in. "A sword and shield. Interesting." He paused as he took another measured step towards Neo and I. "I take it you're after Crocea Mors then?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, tightening my grip on the hilt of my sword. "The one and only." _Someone who at least knows the sword's name. Means he knows the history it's got, though why would a criminal want it? I doubt history has value to him._

"I see." He glanced back to his colleagues for a moment, then looking back to me and Neo. "You'll not have it."

Now, over the past few weeks of training with Neo, I had grown accustomed to speed in people's first attacks. With Roman, I had grown accustomed to people fighting dirty and abusing their ability for the first strike.

This man was something else.

It was almost instant, his charging at me and sending me skidding back a few feet with a blow to my chest. I never saw him move, though now he had his sword drawn, smirking at me.

I sighed and glanced to Neo. "So much for doing this the easy way." If Neo's grin before wasn't terrifying, it was now. She moved in to combat with Nathan and the other four henchmen that this older guy had brought with him.

I had drawn my blade, and just in time to boot. I managed to catch a slash that had been aimed for my chest with the flat of my sword. I threw the older man off of me, making some space between us. To his credit, he still had a smirk on his lips.

_Alright, Jaune. Let's see how well you'll do with your limited training._ I broke into a charge at the older man, making to slash diagonally across his chest. He didn't even raise his guard as he chuckled, watching me run at him. I closed the distance and slashed downwards at him.

I didn't find resistance.

No sword.

No body.

Nothing.

Before I knew it, I felt a kick land on the small of my back, sending me stumbling forward. I growled lowly to myself and spun around, hoping that I'd be able to block his next blow. I wasn't nearly that lucky, though, taking a gash that was meant for my back on my shoulder. Thanks to my limited ability to channel Aura I didn't start bleeding, though I did find that it still hurts like I should be.

I grit my teeth and tried to charge into him, hoping that I could slam my shoulder into his gut and get him off balance. Again, I was met with nothing but air as I skidded to a stop. _What the hell? It's like he's everywhere, but nowhere. I can't land a hit on him._

I spun around and saw him break into a charge at me. I thought about dodging away from the attack, though I wasn't sure that would even work. _He's probably expecting a dodge. I wonder how he'll react if I decide to meet him head on?_ I followed through with that thought, meeting his blade with my own.

He chuckled quietly. "I'm amazed, most people wouldn't last seconds against me." He said as he pressed his blade roughly against mine, making me take a step back. I grit my teeth and pressed back to keep from being forced back again, though this wasn't going to be a fight I won through strength alone.

_How? How is he never where I last saw him when I make an attack? It doesn't make sense! Even with Neo's Semblance, she has to move, and that makes noise if she's not careful. His movements seem instant._ I grunted as I threw him off of me, dodging off to one side. He didn't expect me to throw him off, swinging his blade down into the concrete.

I took my opportunity and slashed at his back. I watched as he glanced away and then quite literally vanished, appearing a few feet away. _Is that his Semblance? It has to be. He can teleport short distances._ I broke into another charge at him, not letting up on my assault. I watched his eyes as he eyed me. As I got within a few feet of him, he quickly glanced off to a side and vanished. _I think it's tied to his sight. He glances away every time he teleports._

I skidded to a stop as I spun towards where he had teleported, rising my sword to catch his blade before it made impact on my shoulder once more. _I need a way to deprive him of his eyesight. At least make it blurry, get him disoriented, anything._

The pressure of his blade against mine vanished, and while I was fast, it's rather hard to block an attack coming from behind you. His sword raked across my Aura covered back, dealing untold amounts of damage to my Aura reserves.

Despite the pain that had put me in, I pushed onwards. I threw an elbow back, finding that I hit only air. I didn't need to glance behind me to tell that he had teleported once more. He appeared again not but a few feet away from me and broke into a charge.

I met him head on, locking our blades together in another battle of strength that I had no chance of winning. I brought up a knee rather solidly into his crotch, causing him to lose all the power behind his arms for a moment. I pressed my advantage while I had it, shoving his sword up and out of the way, I stepped closer into his guard, slamming a fist into his throat as I dropped my sword. I was about to follow up with robbing him of his sight, though found quickly that he had teleported.

I was kicked squarely in the back once more, sending me stumbling forward on onto the concrete. He was on top of me in an instant, delivering a kick to my side. I didn't have my sword anymore, and I was the one on my face.

"You know, you are the first person to land a hit on me in several years. I'll give you props there." The older man said, delivering a swift kick to my crotch. "Though in the end, you were nothing," another kick, this time to my side, "but a sad," and another, "pathetic, failure of a criminal." This one was delivered to the side of my head.

Everything hurt, I could hardly see straight, but I wasn't down for the fight just yet. I rolled away from my attacker, grasping for just about anything I could use as a weapon.

I found nothing but gravel.

Wait.

My lips curled into a grin as I took a handful of gravel, pushing myself up and onto my feet. The world was blurry, almost like I was drunk, though rather than a warm and comforting feeling, everything hurt everywhere.

"Oh, you still got some fight in you, then? Bring in on, little man. Bring it on." He taunted.

I broke into a charge at him, and while everything was blurry, I didn't need to particularly see the best to know he'd just teleport away. _He has a habit of teleporting behind me, so if I had to guess that'll be his move._ As I neared, I saw his form vanish. Almost instantly, I spun around, catching him off guard, and threw the fistful of gravel I had into his face.

It caught him more off guard than anything else as I leapt on him. Together, we went down to the ground. He was fighting back vehemently, though he was still blinded. I did my best to keep him that way, aiming to jab my fingers into his eyes.

With how violently he was thrashing, trying to throw me off him, as well as my rather blurry vision, it made any sort of precision difficult, nigh on impossible for me to do. I decided that further blinding him wasn't going to do me any good and began to wail on him as hard as I could.

It wasn't hard enough.

The older man threw me off of him, growling lowly. I scrambled backwards and away from my attacker. He glowered at me as he rose to his feet once more. "You figured it out." He said as he glanced over his shoulder to Neo who was finishing off her fight with ease.

I frowned. _I figured what out? His Semblance? _"It's plain to see how reliant you are on it. All I had to do was pay attention."

His gaze tracked back to me as he picked up his sword, sheathing it. "If I were you, I'd watch my back." He said calmly, vanishing once more from sight. I braced myself for what I thought would be another inbound attack, though none came. I slowly opened my eyes, glancing around and found that all the fighting had ended.

Neo was standing over the quivering form of Nathan, her sword tip pressed right up to his neck. The others that were in suits were beaten, and if the blood pooling around them was anything to go by, very dead. I shuddered, biting down on my urge to vomit at the sight of the bodies as I pulled myself to my feet.

I found that every muscle I had ached like I had just been through a particularly violent Bullhead crash. Groaning, I came to stand next to Neo, looking down at the well beaten form of Nathan. I came down into a crouch next to him despite my complaining muscles.

"Listen, Nathan. I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to get a sword that rightfully belongs to me back. A sword you stole from a weapons shop yesterday." I paused for a moment, eyeing the terrified teenager. "Now, you're going to go into the back of your van there and get me the sword. One wrong move, and I won't hesitate to let Neo come after you."

He nodded once, well aware of the sword pressed to his neck. I stood up and glanced to Neo with a small nod. She pouted at me and retracted the blade from his neck. Nathan rather slowly got to his feet and made his way back to the van, seeming to think that any sudden movements would set Neo or I off.

He returned after a minute or so with Crocea Mors in hand, holding it shakily. I grinned and took the weapon from him, becoming well aware of the sirens in the distance. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" I asked, strapping my family weapon to my hip.

"Run along, Nathan. Unless you want to be here with a van full of stolen weapons to explain the bodies to the police." Nathan nodded once more and ran to the front of his van, starting it up and peeling off and away from the alley.

The sirens were continuing their approach rather quickly, and I glanced to Neo with a slight smile. "Think it's about time that we head out too?"

Neo nodded once and dragged me out of the alley way, and into the sleeping city of Vale.

We didn't stop walking until we were well away from the scene of the crime. At which point, Neo turned to look at me. She pointed to me, then her stomach which promptly growled loudly in protest.

I sighed, shaking my head at her. "Come on, Neo. It's like, three in the morning. There's not gonna be anywhere open." She pouted and crossed her arms.

"Yes, Neo, while that is very cute, I am exhausted and about ready to collapse. How about I promise to get you something nice for dinner tomorrow?" I was pleading, mostly because all I wanted now was to rest my aching, well, everything.

Neo's pout only grew in proportions, she shifted her eyes to both be brown as she did her best puppy dog eyes.

I rolled my eyes in response. "First off, you're better at intimidation than persuasion, and second you have to remember I grew up with seven sisters. That'll get you nowhere."

Neo lost the puppy dog eyes almost instantly and started going for a glare at me. I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"Alright, how about this. Tomorrow, I'll take you to somewhere of your choice for dinner, and after that I'll get you ice cream. Do we have a deal?" Neo tapped her lips for a moment as she thought, eventually shrugging and nodding her head. "Good. Now, let's get back to the apartment."

Neo nodded, and once more we were off into the silent streets of Vale.

We returned to the apartment after another fifteen-minute walk. A glance around the living space showed a distinct lack of Roman anywhere, though I doubt that I'd have been able to say anything to him even if he was present.

I stumbled off into my room, tossing the door shut behind me. I took Crocea Mors off my hip, and drew the sword. I relished in the sound of steel scraping against steel as I drew the sword. I deployed the shield and found that this indeed felt far more natural than my other sword had.

I swung the blade around a few times, testing the weight and the feel of it in my hand. While I can say it did feel more like a fit, it was different. The sword was heavier, and felt like it had more power behind it than my previous one.

I shrugged a shoulder and collapsed Crocea back into a sword and sheath, resting it against the wall. Without much more thought, I stumbled over to my bed and promptly collapsed into it, finding that the welcoming tendrils of sleep were already taking me.

[-/-]

I awoke, feeling rather sore and groggy. I glanced over to my clock, finding that it was only ten in the morning. I felt as my scroll buzzed once again in my pocket, only just now seeming to realize that I had fallen asleep in my clothes. With a groan, I answered my scroll.

"Mmm, hello?" My voice was scratchy and hardly sounded like me.

"Well, it's about damn time you woke up, Jaune." The voice of an irritated Junior greeted me.

"Junior, it's ten in the morning. Why are you calling me?" I complained, not willing to move from where I lay in my bed that continued to invite me back into its embrace.

"I'm glad you asked, Jaune. I'm glad you asked." Junior paused for a moment, and I could hear shouting going on in the Club. "See, remember that arms dealer you went after yesterday with Neo?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember how I told you he's involved in organized crime?"

"Uhhh, sure?" I said, not exactly recalling Junior telling me that.

"Well, your little stunt pissed some people off."

"And that's a problem… Why, exactly?" I mumbled, still not exactly understanding why this warranted waking me up this early.

"Gods, kid, you're thick. You walk around in one of _my_ suits. The trademark of _my gang._" Junior said, growing more and more irritated.

My sleep deprived brain slowly got its gears turning. A glance down at myself revealed the generic black and red goon suit. _Oh shit._

"Oh. Shit." I mumbled out, coming to be sitting up.

"Yeah, kid. Oh, shit is right. Not only did you steal something they wanted, you beat up one of their lieutenants."

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I thought, glancing to Crocea Mors. "What do you need me to do?" I asked, feeling more than responsible for the grief that this was causing Junior.

"Seeing as you're unaware, this sparked a gang war. I've got my boys out on the streets protecting my turf." I nodded along, even though Junior couldn't see me. "You are going to get Neo, and Roman if you can, and you'll be part of an assault team."

"Sure. I'll see what I can do, Junior." I paused for a moment, coming to stand and feeling several of the bones in my back crack satisfyingly. "What're we going on the assault for?"

Junior chuckled. "While I may not have started this war, I'm sure as hell not going to lose it." Junior paused for a moment to shout something to his goons. "Your job will to be helping to ensure that this ends quickly."

I sighed. "Alright, Junior. I'm on board. Give me a call when you need me."

"Count on it, kid. Who knows, maybe your little screw up will be a big step for me." Junior said optimistically, ending the call.

_Great. Last night was a success by my standards, though I've gone and caused a load of trouble for Junior._ I growled quietly to myself. _Why is it that I can't do anything right? I screw up my first heist with Roman, now I screw this up too._ I shook my head. _I get the feeling Neo will be on board for this operation, though she'll hold it over my head for free stuff if she gets the chance. Roman, I'm not so sure. I can try to get him to help, though it might be a long shot._

I strapped Crocea Mors back to my side as I pushed out of my room. Junior had kept me up for too long, and now I was awake for the day.

As I strode into the apartment proper, I saw Roman seated in his recliner, puffing on a cigar and reading something on his scroll. He glanced up at me and offered a smile and wave. "Well, someone's up early."

I rolled my eyes and made my way to the kitchen, pouring myself a cup of coffee. I returned to the main room, taking a seat on the couch near to Roman. His eyes tracked to Crocea Mors hanging on my side. "Well, I see you got your sword back. Congratulations, kid."

I waved a dismissive hand. "Not quite. Sure, I've got Crocea Mors back, but I might've started a gang war in the process."

Roman just chuckled and shook his head. "Uh-huh. Started a gang war. Let me guess, stole it from someone affiliated with a local gang while wearing that suit there, and now they're going after Junior?"

I frowned, taking a sip of my coffee. I scrunched my nose at it, finding that it was nearly unbearable to drink. "Not far off. Just missing a few details."

Roman chuckled once more. "Figures. Any idea what gang you've started shit with?"

I shrugged, glaring down at my mug of coffee that wasn't all that palatable. "Not a clue. They wore grey and white, though. Suits somewhat similar to what Junior's got going."

Roman took another puff off his cigar. "Hmm. Sounds like the mooks based over in the docks. Area 37, or something stupid like that." Roman shrugged a shoulder. "Junior's a big boy. He'll be fine."

I shook my head, still glaring at my coffee. "Probably, though he's drafting me and Neo to help him. Something about it being our mess, so we help him fix it."

"Sounds like old Junior to me. He's wanting to make the best of a bad situation, grow his little criminal empire." Roman said with a snort.

I arched a brow, looking to Roman. "What, don't think he'll manage?"

Roman just chuckled and waved a dismissive hand at me. "If he gets given the opportunity, he will. Though I doubt he'll get it at all. Not with yours truly in the picture."

I narrowed my eyes. "You don't run a gang, Roman. At least, not that I've ever seen or heard."

Roman shrugged a shoulder. "You're right, I don't. Let's just say that I hold a lot of clout with those that do."

I shook my head, setting the mug of coffee to the side as I leaned back into the rather plush couch. "Whatever you say, Roman." I muttered as I closed my eyes to rest.

"Why don't we see what you can pull off with the great Crocea Mors, familial sword of the Arcs." Roman said, getting to his feet with a grin.

I grumbled and shook my head. "Can we not, Roman? Everything still hurts like hell."

Rather than responding, Roman drove a fist into my gut with a smirk. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that your enemies cared that you're tired or hurting." I growled as I looked up at him. "Now, let's see what you can do."

He turned to leave me on the couch, making his way for the door. I wouldn't give him the chance.

I leapt at him from my place on the couch, hanging onto his back with a vengeance. Roman attempted to throw me off, though found that my grip was like iron. "The fight begins." Roman said with an elated voice.

He managed to get leverage on me and throw me over his form and down onto the ground in front of him. He made to swing his cane at the side of my head, though I rolled off to the side and sprung up to my feet. Roman had since come in to charge at me, wielding his cane like a sword.

I managed to dodge away from his charge once again, having my back to the couch that I had been seated at before. Roman kept pressuring me while I didn't have a weapon drawn. _I need a way to stun him, get him to stumble. Anything so I can draw Crocea Mors._ My eyes went to the cup of coffee that I hadn't finished.

_Perfect._ I grabbed the cup and threw the drink into his face. Almost instantly, Roman's grin fell from his lips as he stumbled slightly. I took the time to vault over the couch, and draw Crocea Mors. Roman's blindness wasn't permanent, and the thief recovered quickly. We stood with the couch separating us, making a direct attack not all too viable.

Roman leveled his cane at me to make a shot for my head. I deployed my shield and brought it up just in time to block the incendiary round that Roman had fired at me. As I peeked out from my cover, I saw Roman vault over the couch as well, slamming his feet into my shield. I was sent skidding back slightly. Roman landed just in front of me, and pressed farther on the attack.

I was being pushed farther and farther back by his relentless assault; it would only be a matter of time before I had my back against a wall. In a desperate move, I slammed my shield out towards him. He caught it with his cane, letting me swing my sword down for a slash at his head. Roman retreated slightly, and I pressed forward.

Roman only grinned and met my assault, though he ducked under my sword, and made a decisive blow to one of my knees, sending me toppling down to the ground. I growled and lashed out, attempting to rip his own feet out from under him.

Roman danced back and away from my attack, stepping back into my guard as he landed another several hits against me. I rolled to the side and attempted to catch one of his ankles with the edge of my shield, and found that I hit my target. Roman grit his teeth and retreated slightly. I came up onto one knee as I tried to force myself onto my feet once again. Roman pressed forward, slamming his cane into my shield. He used the hooked end to catch the top lip of the shield and pulled it down.

His strength was superior to mine, opening my defense as he brought a knee up to slam into my nose, sending me back to the floor in a slight daze. He ripped my shield completely away from me using his cane. I slashed up at him with my sword, though found the attack quickly deflected. Roman stepped on my wrist holding the sword and pressed his foot against my crotch, holding the gun end of his cane to my forehead.

I dropped the sword and nodded with a smile on my lips despite the pain. Roman chuckled and stepped off of me, extending a hand to help me up. I took it gratefully.

Roman pulled me up to my feet and smiled, nodding. "You're learning, kid. Used the field to your advantage. Nice trick with the coffee to blind me, and the couch to buy you time to think." Roman paused for a moment. "Though that was the wrong decision. When you blinded me, you needed to press me while I was disoriented. Makes it harder for me to track your attacks."

I nodded, breathing heavily. "Beyond that, it's all in your technique. You might stand a chance against more skilled opponents because you've got dirty tricks, though without the technique and training to follow it up, you'll lose to someone who's had that training." Roman commented, rolling his shoulders back.

Roman frowned as he glanced at Crocea Mors on the ground. "Beyond that, it's clear you're not comfortable with your new weapon. Don't know how to use the shield, and how to keep from losing it. Your sword is a bit shorter than your old one was, likely a bit heavier as well." I nodded in agreement that Crocea Mors was heavier and not quite the same as what I had before.

"Right, so what you're saying is that dirty tricks and cheating will only get me so far. Other than that, I've got to learn to fight properly, how to know when I've got the advantage and use it, and get comfortable with a new weapon." I summarized Roman's commentary on our spar in the living room which was now a wreck.

Roman nodded, leaning on his cane slightly. "Sounds about right, kid." He glanced around at the damage we had done to the living quarters, shaking his head.

"We're going to have to clean this up, aren't we?" I asked, looking to my mentor.

He only chuckled. "Who said anything about we? I'm gonna go take a shower."

I groaned as I eyed the room. _Leave it to Roman to make me clean this up._ I shook my head and started to clean.

_He said that the dirty tricks I'm learning will only take me so far in a fight, and that eventually it comes down to a battle of skill. My tricks here are just meant to close the gap, I guess. Though that makes me wonder, am I going to be looking at fights with people who are much more skilled than I am?_

_Granted, there was that old guy from last night. He had a trick of his own, incredible reliance on his semblance. Once I deprived him of that, he was lost for a moment. The only reason he came out as the technical winner of that fight was because he got his vision back and didn't want to fight both me and Neo._

_Now the question is, how much more skilled was he than me? I didn't land many hits against him, but that was mostly thanks to his Semblance. I guess I can't tell the skill difference. Though when he was robbed of his semblance, he was lost._

I was shaken from my thoughts as I finished cleaning, and found Roman looking rather fresh behind me. He had a new cigar in hand that he was lighting as he eyed me.

"Alright, Roman, question." I said, eyeing him and the cigar. He rose a brow.

"Where the hell do you keep your cigars? I've never seen you with a case for them, only that they come from seemingly nowhere."

Roman snickered and shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno, kid. Call it part of the magic. Now go get yourself cleaned up and I'll cook breakfast."

I shrugged a shoulder and did as he said.

When I emerged from the shower, Roman had set a pair of plates down on the table. It was toast and eggs.

I went into the kitchen and poured myself a new cup of coffee. I glanced over and saw a bottle of alcohol sitting on the counter. _I mean, it's no whiskey, but it couldn't hurt… Right?_ I thought as I reached over and poured some into my coffee, mixing it in as I joined Roman once again.

Roman wasn't paying me any attention as he was focused on his scroll, responding to messages by the looks of it. I shrugged a shoulder and dug into my breakfast.

I afforded another glance up at Roman who was ignoring his food in exchange for his scroll. "Hey, uh, Roman? You gonna eat or what?"

"If you want it, kid, take it. I've got something to handle." He said as he pocketed his scroll and stood up. I arched a brow at his sudden change.

Normally, Roman was carefree. He didn't know the meaning of the word stress, or so it seemed. Now, though, it was different. He looked on edge, nervous even. I frowned. "What's up, Roman?"

He shook his head, waving a dismissive hand in my direction. "Nothing you've got to worry about, kid. I'll be back later." He said as he made his way out of the apartment.

I blinked a few times, staring at the door. _Huh. That was… unusual. Something that can unnerve him like that, get him nervous. It's gotta be big if it can get that kind of reaction from him considering how unflappable he usually is._

I shook my head. _Whatever it is, Roman can handle himself. He's the professional here._

* * *

**Woo, we're done! We got Crocea Mors back where it belongs, hanging at Jaune's side.**

**From Jack Redhawke, Mostly Sirius, & briskpillow who are supporters of Jaune x Neo, which I'll be honest I didn't know the ship name of, you may get your wish or you may not. It all depends on how our little miss Ruby Rose can throw a wrench into things, if she will at all.**

**In Dem Bushes, I'm glad that you are enjoying the story, and that you can follow my combat. Sometimes I've got to worry if it just makes sense in my head or if it actually does make sense. **

**Staccet, thanks for the pointer there man. I do my best to catch those kinds of mistakes, but it's hard when I'm reading my own writing to see all of the little mistakes I make along the way. I see what I mean it to say, and a lot of the time might overlook something.**

**Greer, I'm glad that you enjoy Jaune's reasoning and logic behind things. He's just happy that he's being given a chance to prove himself, even if he is a screw up. **

**Reesesracer, Nathan got away with only slight terror and lots of bruises and probably a broken bone. Seeing as this is a first person story, Jaune didn't really know or pay any attention to Neo's fight.**

**Last but definitely not least, my buddy X3 with a lot to say. I can definitely say that I'm glad you're enjoying seeing the Jaune & Neo interactions and how they play together. I can say that they are one of my favorites to read, even if it's not in a romantic sense. I just find that their dynamic if they're made / allowed to be friends can be great. Especially if Jaune grows a spine. And you don't know, maybe little Ruby will figure a way to steal Jaune's heart and then suffer the wrath of Neo. Oh dear, that sounds like a really bad time for the Red Reaper. As far as Qrow's comments go about Jaune being similar to Tai, who knows how far that'll go. Maybe it'll happen like you predicted, maybe it won't. As per usual, as the all knowing and all seeing dictat- I mean author, I am aware of how things will go and all I can say is it'll be interesting. Your theory on our arms dealer wasn't quite right, but oh well. We got a fight scene that I enjoyed writing with this new mystery man. I'm glad you enjoyed, and thank you for the continued support.**

**With that done, can I say thank you? Like my god, this story has done super well for my first story published. We've already passed 200 follows, and are nearing 150 favs. That just blows my mind, because I definitely didn't think that this would be that well received, but I'm glad it has been. Like, I was expecting a crime story like this to not go super far seeing as most of the fandom is entrenched in romance & adventure stories, with a heavy side of angst for flavor. But hey, what do I know? Apparently you all like crime stories and Jaune's fall from grace, so there's that. You guys are all awesome, and I thank you for your support.**

**Oh, and one other thing. I've decided that I'm going to stabilize this story at around 7-9k words per chapter I publish with the twice a week update schedule on Mondays & Fridays unless otherwise stated.**

**And now I'm out of things to talk about, so yeah. If you enjoyed, please be sure to drop a follow / favorite to know when I update this story. If you are feeling particularly kind, you could drop me a review too. I live to see what people think about my stories, and seeing that feedback just makes my day every time.**

**Next Update: Monday, April 15th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Just barely scraping it in on a Monday as promised, here's the next chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 6]

After Roman had left, I didn't have much to do, really. Nor did I particularly have friends to hang out with. I mean, sure I had Neo and Junior, though I was not about to wake the sleeping wolverine, nor was I about to go wander into Junior's for a conversation. He had enough on his plate to handle without me wasting his time.

There was always Ruby, but she should be in school right about now, right? _Now that I think about it, I don't even know what day it is._ With that thought in mind, I produced my scroll and found that it was in fact a Saturday. I shook my head as I brought up the messaging app that came on my scroll.

_Jaune: Hey, Ruby, want to do something this afternoon? I'm bored and need help passing the time._

Her response came a few minutes later.

_Ruby: Sure! Anywhere in particular you want to meet up?_

_Jaune: Well, I don't know Vale all that well. Don't get a lot of time to explore with my job, y'know? So I'll say that I'm at your mercy for where we meet._

_Ruby: Okay. How about we meet at the Ashwood Diner?_

_Jaune: Whatever works. Seeing as I have absolutely no idea where that is, I'll say that I'll be there in three to five business days._

_Ruby: Haha, very funny. It's right around downtown Vale. Even then, you've got GPS on your scroll. Use it._

_Jaune: I'm glad you think so. I'll meet you there._

I pocketed my scroll and got up off the couch. I looked down at myself in the wrinkled goon suit. It looked like an absolute wreck after last night. I hummed quietly to myself as I went back to my room and got a change of clothes.

It wasn't anything all that nice, a grey button up and blue jeans with a pair of joggers. Personally, I'd have preferred to have a tee shirt, but Roman was insistent that until I find my style, I go with something like this. I didn't see the point, to me this looked like too much, but whatever. Roman was buying, so I didn't have that much say.

I found my gaze lingering on Crocea Mors. It wasn't like I'd need it, right? I'm only going out for a few hours with Ruby, I shouldn't have need for it. _Then why does it feel so wrong to leave it behind?_

I shrugged a shoulder. _Every time I've seen Ruby, she's had her weapon. Doubt she'd bat an eye at Crocea being present._ I took the sword and shield, hanging it on my hip as I pushed out of the apartment.

[-/-]

It took me longer than it should've to get to Ashwood Diner. While Ruby was right, I did have GPS, and I did know how to use it, I refused. I was stubborn, and I needed to learn my way around Vale, at least more than just the shady parts of town that I frequented.

Once I had arrived, I found Ruby sitting on the curb outside, a pair of headphones on as she was quietly singing along to whatever it was she was listening to. I couldn't help but to smile at that. I approached, coming to stand in front of her. She smiled and waved at me, taking off her headphones.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself there, Ruby." I said with a smirk, watching her blush slightly.

"Yeah? Well, at least I didn't get lost, unlike _someone_." She jabbed back with a small smile.

I rolled my eyes and raised my hands in mock surrender. "Listen, that whole GPS thing you told me about? It's a lot more daunting than you said it would be." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ruby just sighed and shook her head. "Better late than never, at least." She smiled up at me then. "I dunno about you, but I'm hungry." Almost as if on command, her stomach growled in agreement.

I nodded. "Mhm. I had a late breakfast, but it wasn't exactly the best, so I'll eat." I held open the door for her, ushering her in with an incredibly posh, and obviously put on. "My lady."

Ruby did blush as she shrunk slightly into her cloak. I rose a brow at that, following her in. The diner was quiet, only one or two others sitting quietly as they read newspapers and ate their lunch.

"Welcome to Ashwood Diner, take a seat wherever and we'll be with you in a minute." A voice called out from somewhere behind the counter. I shrugged and let Ruby lead the way. She found us a booth in one of the corners and settled in. Naturally, I took the seat across from her.

A waitress emerged after a few moments with two glasses of water, setting them down in front of us. "Good afternoon, my name's Jaime and I'll be your server for the afternoon. Anything other than water to drink for you two?"

Ruby shook her head, taking the menu that the waitress had brought her. I frowned for a moment. "Eh, just Orange soda if you've got it." The waitress nodded and left us to our own devices.

I started flipping through the menu as well, most of it was comfort food. Stuff that my mom would make all the time for me back home. I couldn't help the small smile that started to creep on my lips at the thought of mom's home cooking.

* * *

_"Dinner is ready!" Julia Arc called out to the house. Mom was a tall woman, taller than Dad who stood at just over six foot. She had the trademark blonde hair of the Arc family, though rather than the blue eyes we all have, she had green eyes._

_ It took only about half a beat before the sound of feet thumping on the floor above and on the stairs filled the house. I was already sat in the kitchen, it being my job to help make dinner tonight._

_In reality, it was a lot of watching mom make dinner and being told how to avoid little mistakes, and how to make things easier to do. I did my best to pay attention and learn from what she said._

_The table was set for six tonight, just barely half the Arc household. Mom took the head of the table, seeing as dad wasn't here. The rest of us split up into our usual seats, even though the spacing looked rather odd. It was a habit we had, nobody sat in anybody else's spot, lest you face the wrath of the sister you stole a spot from._

_The first to sit down at dinner was Rina Arc, my younger sister at only eight years old. Her hair was the same color as all of ours, though she wore hers in a braid that hung over her left shoulder and rested lightly on her chest._

_The second to join us was my twin, Joanne Arc. I swear, if I grew my hair out, it would be nearly impossible to tell the difference between us. We were twins in almost every way, we tend to think alike, we sound alike, act alike. Probably my favorite sister, though I'd never admit that._

_The third to join us was Amber Arc, two years older than me. She was never really all that talkative, even with us. She liked to watch from the sidelines and see people interact with one another._

_And my last sister to join us was Erin Arc, three years older than me. She was the default boss of the house when Mom and Dad weren't home, even if she wasn't the oldest Arc child. She had that air of authority about her, that sense that she had to be paid attention to, listened to. I never quite figured out how she commanded that kind of respect from even her older siblings._

_Mom came around, setting the dishes for dinner out. It was roasted chicken for dinner tonight, of which we had three whole chickens to share amongst us._

_Dinner was an orderly affair, one of the few things that were in the Arc household. Dishes were passed to the right, no matter what, and you never leaned over to reach across the table for something, lest you want Mom to beat you over the head._

_"Hey, Mom?" Rina asked, looking up from her food. "When is Dad going to be home?"_

_Mom thought as she chewed on her chicken leg. "Well, sweetie, I don't know. It should be soon, why do you ask?"_

_Rina hesitated for a moment, pushing her food around on her plate. "He said he'd be home for my birthday this year… But he's not here…"_

_Joanne scooted over to Rina and wrapped an arm around her. "He'll be here, Rina. He promised that he would, didn't he?"_

_Rina nodded once, turning to hide her face in Joanne's shirt. I continued to sit quietly and eat what was on my plate, not feeling as though I knew how to add to this conversation._

_Dinner was a silent affair after that, nothing but the Arc family eating as they all silently wondered where Jason Arc was._

* * *

"…Hello, Remnant to Jaune?" Ruby asked, waving a hand slightly. I blinked a few times and looked up at her. She had a concerned look on her face as she glanced over to the waitress who was waiting patiently.

"Right, order, gotta order food…" I shook my head, feeling the embarrassment welling up in me. "Lunch Meatloaf special." I said, handing the waitress my menu. She nodded, taking it and leaving silently. I coughed awkwardly into my fist.

Ruby frowned at me as she leaned forward in her seat. "Lien for your thoughts there, Jaune?"

I shook my head, putting on a smile. "Nah, it was nothing. Just thinking about home." I said, waving a dismissive hand.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at me, though let it go, shrugging a shoulder. "Alright." She trailed off, not all too sure what she was supposed to talk about.

I felt the awkward air creep into the space between us, making me feel increasingly uncomfortable. I shifted on my seat as I wracked my brain for something, anything to talk about.

Granted, Ruby didn't look like she was having a much better time either. The awkward air suffocating her as much as it was me.

I coughed awkwardly into my hand. "So, uh, how's school treating you? You like it, or…?" I trailed off again. _You really are bad at this when you're not comfortable with people._

Ruby smiled shyly and shrugged a shoulder. "I mean, it's different, y'know? It's not like a normal school or something where I'd be sitting in dull classes all day. I mean, I still do a lot of that, but we have combat classes too, and those are fun. I get to use my baby against people, but it's not really fair, y'know? Because my Dad is the combat instructor, everybody is afraid to go all out on me because they think that he'll hurt them if I get hurt."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I can see how that'd be a problem. Has it always been like that?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, but it was a lot worse when Yang was there."

"How'd she make it worse?"

"Well, she's like, really protective of me. And because of that, she liked to 'vet' my friends. That usually meant scaring them all away. Then there were the people that weren't scared away, a lot of them were guys for whatever reason. Yang would get really upset if we hung out too much and would beat them up, accusing them of wanting to take advantage of me or something like that."

Ruby pouted for a moment. "I love my sister, I really do, but I'm kinda glad she's not in Signal anymore. I have a little more freedom to make new friends without fear of them getting beaten up and scared away by her."

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I know how the whole older sister trope goes. Super protective, trying to be helpful but only making it worse?"

Ruby nodded. "Exactly!"

I shook my head. "It's in their instincts. She doesn't see you as able to look out for yourself, so she does it for you in an attempt to protect you."

Ruby tilted her head slightly. "I take it you're speaking from experience?"

I snickered. "That'd be putting it lightly." I paused for a moment, taking a drink of my orange soda. "Seeing as I have technically six older sisters, I got used to it _real quick_"

Ruby coughed a bit on her water, eyes wide. "Six? You have six older sisters?! And I thought one was bad enough, you had _six!"_

I chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, six older sisters. Though one is my twin, she's thirty-four seconds older than I am, and will hold it over my head till the day I die."

Ruby blinked a few times, not sure how to process that. "But still, six older sisters? That must've been a full house."

I shrugged. "You bet it was." I paused for a moment, thinking back on it with a smile. "They might've been a pain to deal with, but they all loved me to pieces and would've done anything to protect me." I said fondly.

"Though, too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing eventually. With six of them smothering me, I wasn't let to be my own person much. Never got to handle things on my own, which led to me getting bullied for needing my sisters to defend me." I shrugged a shoulder, taking another long drink of orange soda.

Ruby hummed noncommittally, nodding a few times. "Yeah, I can see that. But now you're here and free to be your own person, right?"

I chuckled at that. "I am here, and I am free to live my life as I see fit."

Ruby smiled widely. "Then that's good. I'm happy for you."

Our waitress returned a few moments later with our food, taking away my now mostly empty glass of soda. As I dug into my meatloaf, I glanced to Ruby who was eyeing up a burger about the size of her head, I couldn't help but to grin at that.

"You said that Signal has a combat class, you setting up to join the military or something?" I asked offhandedly.

Ruby balked at that, shaking her head. "No, nothing like that. I mean, the military is cool and all, and that's a good place to go if you want to. All sorts of cool tech and guaranteed work, and you don't always have to be in the line of fire, which is awesome if you don't want to be in danger like that."

She stopped to take a breath, and a drink of water. "But Signal is a Hunter prep school, it'll make it easier for me to get into Beacon in two years if I do well."

I grimaced slightly at the mention of Beacon. Even though I was turned away several months ago, it still stung slightly to think about how I was so quickly robbed of my dream. "Good for you, Ruby. I wish you the best of luck."

"Pfft, like I need luck. I'm like the best Huntress in training for my class." She boasted proudly, though clearly losing the wrestling match with her burger as condiments and toppings were dripping out haphazardly.

I chuckled and continued to eat, looking away from the girl as she tried to devise the best way to defeat her cooked foe.

"What about you, Jaune? You work in private security, right? Why'd you decide to do that?" Ruby asked, having gained the upper hand on her opponent for the moment.

I shrugged a shoulder. "Eh, it wasn't my first choice, I'll be honest." I started, trying to come up with lies on the fly. "I wanted to go to the police academy when I came to Vale. While I had the academics to do it, I completely lacked the physical ability. At least, that was their claim." I hummed, taking another bite of Meatloaf that was pretty good, though not as good as Mom's.

Ruby tilted her head slightly. "Well, why don't you just go get yourself some good physical training done and reapply?"

I chuckled and nodded. "That was what I thought, which is what lead me to private security. I have to pay the bills somehow while I get into shape." Ruby nodded, leaning back and glaring rather cutely at her half-finished burger.

"Found an enemy you can't defeat there, Red?" I asked with a slight teasing tone.

"It's a big burger, okay?! It's also really slippery and evasive." She said, crossing her arms and pouting at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Seven sisters, Ruby. Pouts and puppy eyes have no power over me." _I have this strange sense of déjà vu._

Ruby frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Seven sisters? I thought you said you only had six?"

I shook my head, taking another long drink of orange soda. "I said six _older_ sisters. I have one younger sister, and she is absolutely precious." I said with a fond smile on my lips.

Ruby hummed as she thought. "Do you have any pictures of your family?"

I nodded, producing my scroll, swiping to a family photo I had saved at some point. I held it out to her.

The Arc Family was having a hard time squeezing into the space, though they just barely managed it while being crushed together.

Ruby's eyes were wide as she looked over the pictures, a smile on her lips. "Wow, Jaune. Your sisters are really pretty."

I chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. "They are. Some of them were quite the heartbreakers in their time." I said with a smile.

Ruby nodded. "So, who's who? I can guess ages, maybe, but that's not the point."

I chuckled and nodded, looking back at the picture myself. "Alright, let's start with the easy two. The super tall woman with green eyes, that's my Mom, Julia. Standing next to her is Jason, my Dad."

Ruby hummed that she had heard me as her eyes danced over the image, eyeing each face. "Now it gets a bit hard to tell, but from left to right, there's the eldest Saphron, then Alicia, Annabelle, Erin, Amber, Joanne, myself, and Rina." I listed off, pretty sure that this was all in age order.

Ruby nodded happily, leaning back into her seat at the booth. I retracted my hand, pocketing my scroll once more. "That's a lot of sisters, Jaune." Ruby commented.

I chuckled and nodded. "That it is. I remember Mom said that they were going to keep going until they got a boy." I paused a beat. "Rina was a happy accident, according to my Mom anyway."

Ruby shrugged her shoulders, looking back to the waitress who had appeared once more, taking away my plate of food. "Are you going to take a box for that, Miss?"

Ruby frowned as she glared at the burger, then shaking her head. The waitress shrugged and took the plate. "I'll leave this here for you." She said, sliding me the check as she turned and left with our dishes.

I hummed and took the check, pulling out the Lien to pay for it. "Jaune, wait." Ruby said, getting my attention.

"What's up?"

"Let me pay half, it's not fair that you pay for both of us."

I rolled my eyes. "Ruby, it's fine. My treat." I said, setting the lien chips down on the check.

Ruby pouted at me, crossing her arms again. I arched a brow. "How many times are you going to try that before you realize it doesn't work?"

Ruby didn't even miss a beat as she brought out what I'll now label the Big Guns.

Her silver eyes which were already captivating got the saddest, kicked puppy look in them, the kind of look that made you want to just wrap them up in a hug and never let them go again. She was a master at her craft, far and beyond the skills of my sisters. I could feel my defense cracking.

Cuteness overloading.

Must. Resist.

"Please, Jaune?" She asked in the most pleading tone of voice she could manage.

I grit my teeth as I weathered the storm, setting my jaw as I steeled my eyes. I can't show weakness, she'll feed off of that. "Like I said before, Ruby. Not. Gonna. Work." Somehow, I managed to keep my voice even despite my slowly crumbling defenses.

"Pleeeeeeaseeeeee? Just this once?" She tried again, the new wave of cuteness nearly enough to overload me.

I took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly in an attempt to shore up my defenses and to calm myself for the remainder of the assault. "Give it up, Ruby. It won't work." I said, bracing for the onslaught that she could bring to bear on me.

And I braced.

And braced.

And it never came.

Ruby deflated, crumpling back into the booth slightly. "Fine, you win, Jaune." She said, trying to sound disappointed. As I glanced at her, I swore I saw the ghost of a smile that was quickly covered up.

I paid our check, and we were done with Ashwood Diner, the unwitting battleground of Remnant's greatest cuteness battle this century.

I noticed Ruby eyeing my sword from where she walked beside me, though she wasn't saying anything. I couldn't help the small smile that came to my lips again. "Want to see it, Ruby?" I asked knowingly.

The look on her face as it lit up with excitement was damn near priceless.

"Please? It looks really cool. What kind of mechashift does it have? Does the handle turn into a pistol? Oh, or what about the sheath and sword turning into a greatsword? Ooooh, or maybe when it's sheathed it can turn into a shotgun! Let me see!" Ruby said rather excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, Ruby, it doesn't do any of that." The girl frowned for a moment, and my grin grew. "It's much better." Her smile came back twice as wide.

"Better?!" She asked, the excitement lacing her voice.

I drew Crocea Mors, still not feeling all too comfortable with the sword in my hand. I strapped the sheath to my forearm and deployed it into a shield which proudly displayed the Arc symbol on it.

"Ooooh, it turns into a sword and shield, that's cool. What other forms does it have?" She asked expectantly.

I shrugged. "It doesn't. This is all it does. Makes the shield easier to carry, but that's about it."

Ruby slightly deflated, tilting her head slightly as she eyed the sword. "Really? You should get some mechashift gear, it makes it so much cooler, and gives you more options."

I hummed quietly as I held the sword out to her. "Want to hold it?" Ruby nodded rather quickly, taking the sword from me.

She swung it through the air a few times, nodding appreciatively. "It feels good to wield, though it looks like it's been well used." She said, handing the blade back to me.

I nodded. "Yeah, this was my fathers before me, and his before him. Continue on for as long as you like, and the sword will be there. At least, that's what Dad said." I shrugged a shoulder, collapsing the shield and sheathing the sword back at my side.

"Ohhhh, so it's a family heirloom then?"

"I guess, sure." I said with another shrug.

Ruby hummed for a minute. "Well, nothing stays the same forever, right?" I nodded. "Maybe it's time that your sword got an upgrade. It's already happened once that I can see, the shield is very basic mechashift, back when we were still figuring out how to make it work properly."

I thought on it for a moment. She is right in that mechashift is a rather new discovery for humankind, which means that the shield might be a recent upgrade. It couldn't hurt to at least design changes, even if I don't go through with them?

"Maybe it is time to get some upgrades." I ceded, watching as her grin grew wide. "I take it you want to design them?"

"Can I? Can I? Please, please, please, Jaune? Let me design your sword into a proper mechashift weapon." Her smile was so wide and innocent, if one could be innocent about wanting to build weapons capable of untold destruction.

I chuckled and rubbed the top of her head as she halfheartedly tried to bat my hand away. "Yes, Ruby. I'll let you do the designing."

Ruby squealed and tackle hugged me, sending the both of us into the grass as I wasn't prepared for a superspeed enhanced hug,

I coughed a couple times, not completely sure of what just happened. Ruby was still hugging me, face in my chest. That lasted for about half a second before she realized that she was practically laying on me.

In a similar bout of superspeed, she shot off of me and was sitting in front of me now, looking awkward as she fiddled with her cloak. It was adorable.

I sat up, eyeing her with a small smile. "Ruby, what was that?"

"Heh, I uh, well, I, er, my sembalance is super speed… And I may have forgotten that you didn't know that and accidentally tackled you to the grass?" She explained sheepishly, still fiddling with her cloak.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, rubbing her head again. "No harm, no foul, Red." I said as I got to my feet, extending a hand down to her. She smiled happily and took my hand, letting me pull her up.

"So, uh, designing mechashift for your sword." She said in an attempt to get back on track.

I nodded, an amused smile on my lips. "Designing a mechashift for my sword."

She nodded, tapping her lips as she thought. In that moment, she looked like Neo, same stature, same expression as she sat there and thought. "Well, what do you want it to do? It is your weapon, after all."

I shrugged a shoulder. "I mean, I don't know. Ideally, I'd like it to retain the sword and shield part. Though some of what you suggested earlier, before you knew what it did, sounded pretty cool. The greatsword and the shotgun additions sound cool to me."

Ruby nodded at that, pulling out a pad of paper and pen that she had… somewhere in her dress. I knew better than to question things that I didn't really want the answer to.

She scribbled down a few things. "Alright, I've got it. I can't really do any designs here; we don't have the tools or really anything we need to make rough drafts other than vague sketches of what the end product will be." Ruby paused for a moment. "Well, that's not completely true. I won't have anything accurate, but I'll know what kind of parts I'll need and can sketch those out too if you want?"

I blinked, not all too sure of what to say. "I'll be honest here; I wouldn't know what the parts you were showing me did. So, I doubt that's needed. I don't even really need a sketch now if you'd rather go back home where you have the tools you need, I can wait."

Ruby nodded, closing the notepad and tucking it away in the folds of her skirt somewhere. "Okay, cool." She paused, looking around. "Is there anything else you wanted to do? I'm free all day."

I shook my head. "I didn't plan on anything, really. Just wanted to be out of the apartment, you know?"

She hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I love my dad, but it's always fun to go be out with friends. Especially a friend who's willing to let me design upgrades for his weapon." She said with a smile.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "Mhm, if you keep talking like that, I'll think you're only my friend for the chance to tinker with my sword."

Ruby went as red as her cape at my comment, burrowing down into the fabric as she tried to hide her blush. My chuckle grew into a laugh as I shook my head and rubbed her head affectionately. "Jaaaaaune, stooooooop it." She whined, bating at my hand.

I let my hand fall back to my side as I rolled my shoulders back, the soreness from earlier fights fading away into nothingness. "I am so right." I commented with a shit eating grin.

Ruby just groaned and shook her head, hiding in her cloak as much as she could. "Th-th-that's not the only reason…" She mumbled out.

I arched a brow at her, still with a slight smile. "Is that so? Then maybe you just want to tinker with my sword, and teach me how to shoot straight."

Ruby didn't even respond, she just continued to fiddle with her cloak as she did her best to look small. At this point I started to feel bad and pulled her into a side hug. "You know I'm just pulling your leg, right?" She made a quiet noise of agreement.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Alright, Red. I'm sorry, shouldn't have taken it so far."

Ruby elbowed me in the side playfully, peeking out from her hood with a small smile. All was well with the world.

I released her, stretching my arms over my head. "Well, if you don't have anything in particular you want to do, I'll probably head out. Find some other way to entertain myself for the afternoon." I smiled at her, offering a mock two finger salute. "Thanks for coming out with me, Ruby. Was fun."

I turned to leave right as Ruby spoke up again. "I mean, just because we don't have anything we want to do, doesn't mean we can't find something to do… You said you wanted to explore Vale a little, right?"

I nodded, turning to face her again with a small smile. She looked rather awkward, fiddling about with her cloak. "W-well, if you'd like, I can show you around? I mean, if you don't want to that's fine, but I just thou-"

"Sounds like fun, Red." I said, cutting her off before she talked herself out of it.

She smiled, nodding. "Well, come on. There's a lot to see."

She led me back into Vale, the small smile on her lips not fading as she pointed out interesting shops and places to waste time.

[-/-]

In total, I think Ruby and I spent the better part of three or four hours wandering around Vale, browsing through shops and getting me my bearings in the city. It was still shaky, though it was better than nothing at all.

Ruby and I were sat at an outdoor café, relaxing as the evening rolled in over us. Ruby, as it turns out, despises coffee. She was happily drinking her third cup of hot chocolate. I, on the other hand, enjoy coffee. At least, I usually do.

This tasted bland. Not bad, just bland. I didn't know if it was the shop, or me being picky. Ultimately though, it didn't matter. I was leaning back in my chair, looking over the people of Vale as they wandered through the streets to wherever they were trying to go.

Ruby was doing much the same as I was, idly watching the people as they passed. Neither of us spoke a word, content to listen to the sounds of the city.

Unlike back at the diner, this silence was comfortable enough. We had been going back and forth all day, and I for one, was grateful for a bit of quiet.

That was, until it got ruined.

"Ruby!" A loud, and clearly feminine voice called from behind us. I didn't bother looking back, it wasn't me she was talking to.

"Hi, Yang." Ruby said, looking over her shoulder.

"Who's this?" The voice – Yang, Ruby's older sister if I recall, asked. I could feel her eyes drilling into the back of my head.

I smiled and turned to look at her, offering a smile and wave. "Name's Jaune. Think we've met once before?"

Yang looked none too amused, narrowing her eyes at me. "I think we have. Does a badass biker chick ring a bell?"

I frowned as I eyed her up and down. "Mmm, no, I think it must've been somebody else then. You don't fit the bill." My lips were betraying me, curling the frown slowly into a sly smile.

Yang's lips curled into a predatory grin. "Oh really? And what bill do I fit then?"

I tapped my lips as I thought, making a show of it. "Mmmm, if I had to pick, I'd say high maintenance pretty girl." I was at least vaguely aware that I was asking to get my ass handed to me, but this kind of confidence didn't last long. Might as well use it while I've got it.

Yang narrowed her eyes at the backhanded compliment. "Try again."

"Yaaaang, leave him alone." Ruby whined from her side.

I arched a brow, taking a sip from my coffee. Yang sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. What're you doing with my little sister?"

I hummed, shrugging my shoulders. "Wasting time, enjoying an evening after having her show me around all day."

Yang's eyes flashed red, and I had a feeling that the nearest escape would be off the patio and into traffic below. Whether I did it of my own volition was a different question all together. She looked like she was about to say something, though a new voice joined the fray before she could speak.

"Oh, Ren, look! Yang made some new friends for us!" She said with a bright smile as she bounded up to us. Behind her were two other teens, a boy of average height with black hair and a green getup, and a girl with long red hair tied back in a pony tail.

Yang sighed, her eyes shifting from red back to lilac as she turned to look at the girl who had spoken. "Yeah, Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, this is Ruby, my little sister." She said waving a hand towards Ruby who waved back shyly. Yang paused to eye me up. "And this guy is Jaune. One of Ruby's friends, apparently." Her eyes were narrowed into a glare.

I smiled despite growing all the more aware that I was in danger the longer I stayed here. "Evening." I said, voice clipped. I definitely needed an escape plan. The more Yang glared at me, the more I got the feeling that planning the fastest and most effective route out was needed.

I would've thought it to be Nora to approach me first, though found that it was Ren. He smiled serenely, extending a hand. I cautiously took it. "Lie Ren, pleasure to meet you."

I smiled weakly and nodded. "Like she said, Jaune." I said offering a firm shake. I found that his eyes were practically screaming 'help me' to anyone who was paying attention. I, sadly, was in no place to do so. I still needed an escape route from Yang that didn't involve launching myself off a second story balcony and into traffic.

Nora was ignoring me in favor of Ruby, and the last girl, Pyrrha, was stood awkwardly in the back, clearly not knowing how to approach the situation. She was smiling, though it was wooden, fake. It didn't reach her eyes.

I approached, offering a small smile to her and an extended hand. "Hey, you're Pyrrha, right?"

Pyrrha practically flinched, though nodded, her smile still in place. "That's me. Nice to meet you… John I think she said?"

I shook my head, letting my ignored hand fall back to my side. "It's Jaune, but that's close enough that people get it wrong often." I glanced back over my shoulder, and Yang was still watching me. "Well, while I'd love to stay and get to know you all, I do have somewhere to be." That somewhere is wherever Yang isn't. "So, I'm headed out."

Yang didn't say a word as she continued her glare at me.

Ruby smiled and waved. "Bye, Jaune! I had a lot of fun today." She said happily.

Ren offered an almost defeated wave, left abandoned to handle the chaos alone yet again.

Pyrrha nodded at me, also remaining silent.

Nora bounded on up, leaving Ruby and Yang behind. "Wait just a minute there, buster." I froze in place. I still had somewhere to be, somewhere Yang couldn't kill me. I needed a Neo. Or a Roman. Or even a Junior. Any of those would ensure I don't end up a blood splatter on the pavement below.

"W-what is it?" My stutter starting to filter back in as Yang's glares drained any confidence I had.

"You can't just leave! New friends stick around and talk to each other. I'm sure whatever it is can wait while you talk to us." She said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I blinked, looking to Ren, hoping he might help me. I get the feeling that he would consider it normally, though if I were here, he would have someone to weather the storm of personality with him.

Ruby was no help either.

Yang said nothing, her glare still on me.

I didn't even bother with Pyrrha.

"I, uh, well…" I need a lie. Something believable. Something –

My scroll buzzed in my pocket. There is a god, and he is merciful.

"Give me a minute." I said, reaching in to my pocket and answering the scroll call.

"Hello?"

_"Jaune."_

"Boss."

_"Get Neo and make your way over here, we've got work to do."_

"Right, I'll be there shortly."

I hung up the scroll and pocketed it, looking at the group of five that was eyeing me up.

"Yeah, uh, duty calls. Boss needs me to come in tonight." I said sheepishly.

Nora looked slightly deflated, though perked right back up after a moment. "Okay, well, we'll just have to do the new friend thing later then. Bye, Jauney Boy!"

As I turned to leave, I saw Ren's eyes screaming 'take me with you' as I turned. "See you all around." I called over my shoulder as I left the café.

Now, the real question was what work I had to do?

* * *

**Gaaaaaaaaaaah. I did it. Also, Ruby is adorable and I love her.**

**So, I know I promised that this would be up on Monday, and here it is. That's not to say that I had this written before, well, right this instant. See, I'm in college and I was told on Friday afternoon that my group members for a project had done NOTHING they needed to for the project. So I spent my whole weekend panicking and doing all of their work so that my grade doesn't take a nose dive for their stupidity.**

**That said, this chapter has not been edited, reviewed, or anything by me at all. I started writing this about three hours ago in a desperate attempt to get this done on time, and I just barely made the deadline, so go me. Forgive me if this is a bit of a jumbled mess, and things don't seem right. I'm just hoping that my outline and whatever my brain churned out is enough for this to be on par with my other chapters.**

**And now I respond to reviews, woo!**

**Fake Account - Well, buddy, you got some Lancaster Fluff here. And while I know the end pairing, I will tell you that isn't going to be the happiest of stories later on. Beware the drama tag I've added onto this.**

**Death Korp - I'm glad you enjoyed. And maybe Roman does know, maybe he doesn't. Maybe Roman has the most useless semblance ever that gives him an infinite supply of cigars. That'd be pretty amusing, actually.**

**The Qrow - May I say that you have an amazing name, sir. Back on chapter one. But yeah, Roman did take Jaune in _real quick_. It seems odd, and it's supposed to. Jaune is constantly questioning it, wondering 'Why?'. Needless to say, Roman has his reasons. I do accept conspiracy theories, and regular theories (I don't judge) in the comments section.**

**ThatOneGuy - Happy that you're enjoying the story. And Neo / Ruby interactions? We will see.**

**Six Foot Assassin - It seems the most logical conclusion, though this chapter might show another possibility. I know. You all are in for the wild ride.**

**Dominus Furor - Happy you like it. Well, you may get your wish, you may not. I personally love both of these pairings much like you do. I also agree that I don't like Neo being a Yandere or someone who turns Jaune into a witless pet. That's not my idea of fun, and it's not fun to write most of all. I love both Neo and Ruby and will do my best to make them both likable, though with their own problems that show up in time.**

**X3 - You, my good sir, are amazing and I love seeing you review so much. As far as a collar, maybe not in public. What they do in the bedroom is their business, if it even gets to that. As far as when his outfit changes to its new permanent state, it won't be for a few more chapters. We've got a lot of stuff to deal with before Jaune can even really have a moment to think about it. As far as his entry to infamy? Who knows, other than me that is. I am all knowing. I AM ALL POWERFUL. *cough* Right, sorry. Small power trip, ignore that.**

**Greer - And thank you kind sir for the review, it really does make my day. As far as Jaune keeping up with any of the members of Team RWBY in a fight, logically it doesn't make much sense for him to win on a simple skill basis. Following that line of thought, the only way he wins is through significant use of planning and cheating. I'm glad you're excited, and I didn't miss the deadline. Only just barely, but I made it. The power of a college student with significant fear of deadlines and impending doom by missing them.**

**Specter - I'm happy you enjoy it. Sudden Thanos is sudden, and will likely appear again once I have quotes to rip from Avengers End Game when that releases. Or whenever I find a good place to slip in a quote from him that we already know.**

**LordOwl - Right you are, my friend. This is why we kill witnesses. Actually, in the first draft of that scene, I had Jaune kill the old guy just barely. Though I decided that this would be better for the story. Gives Jaune something concrete to be up against rather than just the big mystical 'gang' that we know nothing about currently. As far as his first kills, we will have to see. Jaune might not be able to handle it, because even though he's a criminal now, he's not in so deep that he can't back out. Killing his first person is pretty much the point of no return, so we'll see. Again, I know. You all are going to have to sit and question and wonder and theorize. As far as the cocky old guy, yeah he was meant to be a bit of a meme. Just a throwaway character so we can see Jaune's ability to do some basic combat analysis. I'll do my best to keep the quality up, thanks for the encouragement.**

**And that's the last of the new reviews I think. If I missed yours, be sure to send me a PM or drop another review and I'll get back to you on the next chapter that gets published.**

**If you're feeling kind, and want to know when I update, consider dropping this story a follow and favorite, seeing the response this story gets always makes me incredibly happy. And if you're especially kind, and want to show up in my review response section, drop a review and you too will feature there.**

**Next Update: Friday, April 19th (Which I hopefully won't have to panic write in three hours like this chapter.)**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	7. Chapter 7

**And here we are on a Friday evening with another chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 7]

I arrived in the apartment I called home about thirty minutes after Junior had called me with orders to get Neo. I didn't think I was ready for this, but what did I know? I didn't think I'd become a criminal when I was told I couldn't become a Huntsman; I didn't think I'd start a crime war by getting Crocea Mors back; despite that, it all happened.

Life didn't care if I was ready or not.

I glanced about the apartment finding a rather typical scene. Neo was sprawled out on the couch, playing on her scroll without a care in the world. Roman was laid back on his recliner, his hat over his eyes, and his hands behind his head as he did his best to relax.

I glanced down to Neo. "Hey, Neo." She glanced up at me and offered a small wave.

"We've got work to do. Junior's called us in for whatever his plan is." I said, rocking back on my heels slightly as I eyed Neo.

"Well, kid, you're just going to have to tell Junior that he's SOL. Neo and I have some business to attend to that does require her presence." Roman said without moving from his relaxed position.

I sighed and gripped the bridge of my nose. "Really?" I asked hoping that Roman was just messing with me.

"Yes, Jaune. Really." I groaned, my shoulders sagging slightly.

"Oh, come on. You're really going to send me in there alone? With no reliable backup?" I complained, trying to get Roman to relent and let me have Neo for the night.

"You won't be alone, chief. Don't worry so much; Junior likes you too much to just send you to die like that." Roman countered.

"Maybe, but Junior has counted for Neo being there to save my sorry ass if I get in over my head." I countered.

"He might, but he knew when asking for her help that she works for me far before she works for him. He's a big boy, he'll deal with it."

I groaned once again, shaking my head. "Fine, whatever." I started towards my room to get changed. "Say, Roman? What're you doing that needs Neo? A big heist or something?"

Roman waved a dismissive hand at me. "I'll tell you when you're older. Now get, you wouldn't want to annoy Junior more than you already have."

I rolled my eyes. _Leave it to Roman to leave me in the dark about what's going on. Sure, he's taken me in, given me a home, trained me, and given me an opportunity, but could it hurt to at least trust me a little? If I were going to turn him in or do something to harm him, I would've done it before now._

I paused for a moment as I stripped off the clothes that I had been wearing all day. _Now that I think about it, he has no reason to trust me. I mean, sure I haven't turned him in or done anything to be a detriment to him, but I haven't exactly made strides to earn his trust._

I sighed as I pulled on the new shirt, buttoning it up. _How would I even go about earning his trust? I mean, to him I'm still useless. Sure, I'm learning, but I don't stand a chance against anyone with real training; not without a lot of cheating and a bit of luck at least._

I growled lowly to myself as I pulled my jacket on, finishing the whole goon suit. _Hell, I've still got to wonder why he took me in at all. What'd he see in me? What was he thinking?_

I shook my head as I strapped Crocea Mors to my hip, letting my hand rest comfortably on the hilt. _Whatever, I've got more pressing problems to tend to than Roman's reasoning behind picking me up._

As I exited my room, the living area hadn't changed a bit, Neo still fiddling with her scroll, Roman still looking like he was trying to sleep.

"Well, I'm off to hopefully end a gang war, or something." I said with a slight chuckle. It was amusing, I didn't even know what I was being called in to do.

Roman waved a hand in a dismissive nature again. "Knock 'em dead, kid."

I rolled my eyes, glancing down at Neo who had looked up from her scroll. Her gaze was narrowed at me, a small frown on her lips. I arched a brow at that as I met her gaze.

"Something you want to tell me, Neo?" I asked, not quite understanding the look that I was being given.

Neo seemed to think a moment before she shrugged her shoulders and rolled over onto her back and began fiddling with her scroll again.

I shook my head. _That was… odd._ "Whatever, then. I'll be back later, probably." I said as I made my way out of the door, locking it behind me.

I made my way into the streets of Vale, jamming my hands into my pockets as I ducked into my jacket slightly. It wasn't freezing, just a little nippy, and enough to make me want to keep what warmth I could, well, warm.

_That was what, the second time Neo's given me that look? That narrowed eyes and small pout look. She did it right before I left to go looking for the arms dealer, and just now._ I shook my head. _I don't get it. What is she trying to tell me, if anything at all? I mean, she's not worried about me, right? Why would she care if I come out okay, unless that is that she wants to be the one to knock me around like she already does._

I arrived at the front of Juniors, though it was dark. There were lots of goons standing guard outside, all blatantly armed. There was a 'Sorry, we're closed' sign hanging on the door. I ignored it and pushed in, all of the goons ignoring me.

The club was loud.

Not in the usual way that the club was loud, with bass heavy enough to feel in your bones, and music that sounded like nothing but chaos to me. The club was loud with goons all walking around, all armed, and all more on edge than I've ever seen them. Several looked beaten and bloodied, though well enough to stand. Some were rushing into the back rooms, carrying a box of something.

Junior was stood behind a bar, several goons gathered before him, along with the twins that had harassed me when I had been recovering from a gunshot wound. I walked up and found myself stood behind one of the goons.

Junior nodded to me, glancing around. "Where's Neo?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "Busy. Roman said she's working with him tonight."

Junior shook his head. "Alright, sure." He beckoned me closer, having the goon I was stood behind give up his seat.

Laid on the bar were four rolled up blueprints, one of which was handed to me. I unrolled it and eyed the depiction of a warehouse carefully. "Junior, what exactly am I looking at?"

Junior sighed. "That, Jaune, is one of their warehouses. It's a major supply dump for them. Allegedly where they're keeping a solid supply of dust and weapons near our border. I want you to secure it."

I furrowed my brows at Junior, looking back at the blueprint.

"It should have a fair bit of security. There's going to be one of their lieutenants stationed there. Your ultimate goal is to kill him. Securing the dust and weapons is secondary to striking a blow to their command." Junior continued on, completely ignoring me. "It's up to you how you approach the warehouse. I'll be sending you with a team of my boys, so use that to your advantage."

I nodded slowly.

"Though without Neo, we're short a commander for one of these." Junior sighed and shook his head. "Guess that means I'm running one of 'em myself. Great." Junior looked up at all of us still present. "Well, get to it. We're burning moonlight here." He said waving a dismissive hand.

Rather quickly, everyone dispersed. I found myself sat at one of the booths, pouring over the blueprint to the warehouse. _Alright, so it's got one floor, and then a sort of scaffolding up above with what looks to be some offices in the back. The only way that's accessible on the main floor is the sliding panel door. Other than that, twenty feet off the ground there are some windows lining the whole building. I wonder if we could get in that way?_

I sighed and looked up. A team of about ten of Junior's goons had gathered before me, all dressed the same as I was, all armed and ready to go. I only recognized once face, and couldn't help the smile that came to my face.

He was already glaring at me. "Don't say it."

My grin only grew. "Don't say what, Not Jerry?"

Not Jerry just groaned and shook his head. "Paul. My name is Paul…" He grumbled to himself.

I chuckled and got up, rolling up the blueprint. "Don't be stupid, your name isn't Paul. It's Not Jerry."

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know why I even bother." He grumbled again.

I shrugged. "I don't either, Not Jerry. I don't either." I looked over the group gathered who were eyeing me suspiciously. "Well, with that out of the way, we've got a warehouse to hit. Any questions?"

One goon spoke up. "Uh yeah, what the hell is the plan? I'm not sure about the rest of these lunks, but I'm not about to walk into an enemy stronghold without a plan." He said, crossing his arms. His words got nodding and agreement from the rest of his comrades.

I shrugged a shoulder. "Well, there's only one way in that we can access, unless you fancy leaping through a window twenty feet of the ground into the middle of them."

There was murmuring of agreement that a twenty-foot fall would not be a good idea.

"Why don't we cut a hole in the back of the warehouse, sneak in and jump 'em unawares?" A goon called out.

I frowned, rubbing at my chin slightly. "That. That is actually a good idea." I paused for a moment. "Anyone know how thick that wall is? What it's made of, and have the tools to cut through it with them?"

Most of the goons were shaking their heads. I sighed. "While not a bad plan, without more information than what we've got, and more planning, that's not feasible." I thought for a moment. I had spent my share of time in the warehouse district, doing a lot of training with Neo and Roman, as well as the time Ruby and I went shooting.

_The walls aren't really that thick, and they were made of just sheet metal, I think. Ruby's rifle cut through it like it was paper._ I glanced down at Crocea Mors, an idea coming to mind.

"Well, actually, we might be able to go through with it. That is assuming that these walls are only simple sheet metal, I think my sword should cut through it easily." I shrugged a shoulder. "Though, let's assume that doesn't go to plan. If we have to, we rush in through the front. I would expect them to have sentry guards posted on the scaffolding above, as well as several patrolling the main floor." I began to chew on the inside of my cheek.

"The best thing to do would be to have those of us with ranged weapons up on the scaffolding, gives us the high ground and better chance to catch out those on the floor circling around to catch someone unaware." I paused a moment more as I thought. "Then those of us on the main floor should spread out, though remain within eyesight of someone. Should things go wrong above, if you have someone watching your back, it'll make catching us off guard a lot harder."

"Allegedly, there's a lieutenant of this gang here. I'd expect him to be particularly more dangerous. He'll likely be up in the office if I had to guess. I'll go up and hold him off. Your job is to clear out the warehouse as fast as possible, and then come to assist me."

I looked around at the goons who were all nodding. "Anything else to ask before we go?"

There was no response, so I took that as a 'no' from everyone. I nodded and pushed through the group. "Alright boys, let's show 'em what we're made of." The goons fell into step not far behind me.

As I glanced around, we were one of the last groups to leave, along with Junior's. Neither of the twins were in sight. I could only assume that they rushed off, assuming they could handle whatever came their way. _To each their own, I guess. I'd rather be safe than sorry._

The group behind me engaged in some small, quiet, clipped conversation as we made our way into the warehouse district.

This particular section of the district had been abandoned for several years, the Vale government deciding that they didn't need the land for development of just about anything. Looking around, it looked deserted, like it should be. It looked like there hadn't been anyone seriously using the place for years, with many of the warehouses looking on the verge of completely collapsing in on themselves.

I found my hand resting nervously on the hilt of Crocea Mors as I scanned our surroundings. Conversation had stopped, the only sounds to be heard were the series of footsteps as we pushed towards our target, and sirens ringing out in the far distance, getting farther away. _Gotta wonder if that's one of our crews._

I shook my head as we approached the warehouse that was our target. Unlike any of the others, there were a pair of guards in their own goon suits stood in front of the door. Neither of them looked to be paying all that close attention to their surroundings, talking with one another in favor of doing their jobs.

I frowned, turning around and ushering my squad of goons backwards. We back tracked for about five minutes, to ensure that we were out of earshot from them. I drew Crocea Mors and stabbed the sword into the wall of one of the warehouses.

Just like I expected, it cut, though with some resistance, and more noise than I'd care for. I sighed and withdrew my sword, looking back to the others. "It was worth a try, though it's too slow and too quiet to be an advantage.

Several of the goons nodded, though Not Jerry piped up. "Well, what if we split the teams in half? Have one team rush in through the front, get everyone's attention while the second team comes in through the back while they're focused on the first team?"

I hummed, nodding slowly. "That, Not Jerry, is a half decent plan." I paused another moment, pulling out the blueprint. I pointed to the stairs that led up to the scaffold second floor. "We'll break in right there, in front of the stairs. Gives us the fastest way up to the lieutenant, and our ranged the best chance to cover you guys on the ground."

I hummed, looking up at most of the guys who would be on the ground team. "Be careful, though. For the first, probably thirty seconds, you'll be surrounded, and without fire support from us." All of the guys who would be on the ground team nodded their understanding. "Alright, then. Let's split up and get to it."

The groups split, leaving me with three others, including Not Jerry. The others made their way towards the main entrance as we snuck around. I glanced back at those who would be accompanying me. "You guys ready?" They all nodded. I laughed nervously and shook my head. "I'm glad someone is…" I trailed off as I drew Crocea Mors.

Around the corner, I heard the sounds of a fight breaking out, before it was quickly ended. Then came the opening of the doors, and gunshots rang out. I took that as my queue to start cutting through the steel, hearing more gunshots in the warehouse.

I had been a bit off in my timing, they were in there alone for nearly a minute before we broke in.

What we found wasn't encouraging.

There were no crates of weapons.

There were no crates of dust.

There were no crates of drugs.

I shook my head and rushed up the stairs, holding my shield out in front of me to block any stray shot that might be coming for me.

We caught the gunners that were on the scaffolding off guard, the guys I had with me making short work of them. Down below, the ground team had no issues finishing off what little resistance they had met.

I narrowed my eyes as I cautiously made my way to the office at the end of the walkway. _Something definitely isn't right here._

I pushed the door open, and there was nobody. Just a desk, and a couple of chairs. I looked back at the goons who had joined me in the office. We were down two men, though they were only injured by glancing shots. They'd be fine, probably.

"The hell?" One of the goons asked.

"I thought this was going to be a fight!" Another called out, clearly frustrated.

I frowned, lowering my defense, sheathing Crocea Mors as I looked over the office. It was empty, cleaned of anything important.

"They knew we were coming." I said as I looked around.

"How would they know we were going to hit them? We only decided on this plan this morning." Not Jerry called out.

I frowned, chewing on my cheek. _It didn't make sense. They pulled off the main front like this, freely giving ground up without a care in the world. They got all their supplies out, but what did this accomplish for them?_

"They knew because someone told them." I said, turning to look back at my group. "What I'm not understanding is why they freely gave this up. They protected their supplies, sure, but they just gave up a fair chunk of land, assuming that this is uniform across the board. What did they gain? Where are they getting something back?"

My scroll rung, and I answered in one ring.

"Jaune here."

_"Jaune, good. We're a bust here, they cleared out before we even showed up, only a few guards. Anything on your end?" _The voice of Junior questioned, sounding on edge.

"Ditto. Not a damn thing in this warehouse other than a few guards here to keep up appearances."

_"So, it was everyone then. Great. Meet back at the Club and we'll discuss the next move."_ Junior said, cutting off the call before I had a chance to respond.

I looked up to my goons then. "That was the boss. We're headed back to the Club." Everyone nodded, filing out of the room one by one. I hummed quietly as I looked around the empty office. I definitely didn't like how this was panning out for us.

[-/-]

When I returned to the Club, Junior promptly dragged me into his office where the twins were already waiting, looking none to amused with their current predicament. I took a seat in one of the chairs that Junior had in front of his desk, leaning back as I was still lost in thought.

"Just to be clear, nobody found anything? No supplies, no major resistance?" Junior asked, eyeing each of us.

"Like I told you, Junior. We found nothing of importance other than an empty warehouse and a few goons to keep up appearances." I said with a shrug. The twins both agreed with me, saying that they found a whole load of nothing.

Junior growled lowly, starting to pace around his office. "They knew we were coming and relocated their supplies, left these warehouses empty for us to deal with." He said, more or less talking to himself as best I could tell.

I frowned, mostly tuning Junior out as he talked to himself in an attempt to piece together what had happened tonight.

_I got called in to do a mission, one that should've led to a major hit to Area 37's leadership. A decent plan by Junior, quick and effective way to massively cripple their organization. Though something went wrong, they weren't there._

_Is there a chance Junior's information was bad? I'd doubt it, Junior's whole reputation is built on being the best information broker in Vale. I'm going to say his information was good. So, what happened then?_

_They weren't there. That's what happened. Though they wanted us to think that they were, that they hadn't moved. They wanted Junior to make a move and gain nothing for it._ I was chewing on the inside of my cheek as I thought.

_That's the sort of thing that I'd see happen in old strategy games I played a lot of, but they usually make it a trap. The sort of deal where the force who walked into the trap gets surrounded and killed. _I narrowed my eyes as I continued to think on it.

_In other cases, they'd leave much of their front line open to make a concentrated strike somewhere else, punch through our line and force us to pay dearly for something that cost them nothing. Yet, they haven't made a move like that. Not that we've heard. Why?_

I shook my head, glancing about the room. The Malachite twins were looking rather bored, eyeing Junior as he continued to mutter and pace, talking out his own thought process.

"Junior." I spoke up, catching his attention. Junior looked up and eyed me questioningly.

"We found a whole lot of nothing on our missions out into their territory. No Dust, no drugs, no weapons, and no commanders. They were long gone by the time we showed up." I said, getting a nod from all those in the room.

"I'm going to say that your information was good, based almost completely on your reputation. Assuming that's the case, it makes a fair bit of sense that someone let your plans slip. The question is who?"

Junior's frown grew as he made his way to take a seat behind his desk. "You're telling me that I've got a rat somewhere, kid?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Something like that. It's the only way they'd know to clear out; unless your information was bad to start with?"

Junior waved a dismissive hand at that. "Doubt it. Like you said, I don't get called the best information broker in Vale for nothing."

"Alright, with that established, who all knew about this? Other than the four of us in this room, assuming that we're all trustworthy." I said, offering a glance at the twins.

Miltia rolled her eyes at me. "Please, if anything you're the weak link in the room."

Junior hummed as he thought. "No, he's not. Jaune only just learned of the operation's details before we left. He couldn't have been able to tell them what was coming. Not to mention he's the one who started this whole deal."

Junior leaned back in his seat slightly, still thinking. "As far as who all knew, we weren't exactly careful about who overheard. I know definitively that the twins, and your teams knew for sure what the plan was. Other than that, it could've been just about anyone."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Alright, so that's a dud without having us check each and every one of your goons." I glanced up. "Why'd you think this was a good idea to discuss plans of attack where you could be overheard?"

Melanie growled at me, glaring daggers at the back of my head. "Watch who you're talking to."

I turned to meet her gaze. "I know exactly who I'm talking to. Now unless you've got something to add, shut it."

Melanie looked like she was about to retort, though Junior cut her off by raising a hand and speaking up. "He's right, Melanie. We got sloppy, and we paid for it in a failed operation." Junior then rounded on me. "And Jaune, don't antagonize her. We have more important things to worry about."

I rolled my eyes and shrugged a shoulder. "Fine." I grumbled quietly.

Junior was content with that and leaned back in his seat once more. "So, we've got a rat. Anyone know a good exterminator?"

Roman almost instantly came to mind, though he'd likely not want anything to do with this whole fiasco.

The twins were both just as silent as I was, getting a sigh from Junior. "Alright, then. Let's try this: anybody have an idea for how to flush him out?"

"Could always let me and Mel have a look around, start terrorizing some of the goons until one of them spills." Miltia offered, leaning back against a wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

Junior shook his head. "If you do that, he'll get scared and beat it before you ever find him."

Melanie arched a brow. "And that's a bad thing, why exactly? Isn't that what we wanted to happen? Get rid of this rat?"

Junior chuckled darkly and shook his head. "It is. Though not after I find out what made him think stabbing me in the back was a good idea."

The twins both grinned slightly at that.

"So, you want this done subtly." I said, stating the obvious.

"That's the goal, yes." Junior said, resting his chin on his hand as he eyed me. "Got a plan cooking in that head of yours, kid?"

I frowned, shrugging a shoulder. "Eh, it's half baked and unlikely to work."

Junior nodded. "And that would be?"

"Well, you said that only the twins and the teams we went out with were in on the plan, right? Anyone else hearing was a coincidence." Junior nodded at my words. "Right, so with that in mind, our four teams are the best bet for our rat. They'd have known the most of the plan, known the details and been able to get word out to his allies."

"You're suggesting that we start with the teams that we took on the assault with us?" Junior asked.

I nodded. "That I am. It makes the most sense, at least to me."

"And how, exactly, are we going to find the rat if he's in one of these teams?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "Like I said, half baked. I don't know, really. Feed them lies, see what gets back to Area 37, and go from there?"

Junior drummed his fingers against his desk as he thought. "Might work. Tell them we're moving supplies to one of those warehouses we took, each team gets told it's a different warehouse, and then we watch to see which one gets attacked?"

Melanie shook her head. "It works on paper, but what happens if they start talking to one another? They'll see through it damn quick. I'd say that's not much of an option."

I frowned, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I pondered. "What if we tell them we know there's a rat somewhere, that they shouldn't be spreading any information around to keep it sealed up tight?"

Miltia rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, that's just dense. If we tell them that, the guy will clam up, and we'll have accomplished nothing."

I threw my hands up in the air. "At least I'm trying to come up with ideas here."

Junior continued to drum his fingers against the desk as he ignored us. "I've got a whole load of nothing." He glanced around at us hopefully. "Anyone got a bright idea?"

I shook my head, leaning back in the chair as I stared at Junior's desk, trying to come up with something concrete.

The room fell into silence once more as we all started to get lost in thought.

For all of about fifteen seconds.

One of Junior's goons burst into the room, sweating and terribly out of breath. "Junior!" he called, leaning over and trying to catch his breath. "W-we're under attack." The goon called out, still hard of breathing.

Junior nodded calmly. "Where?" He asked, his voice level for the moment.

"Supply depot, right on the front nearing the Faunus slums." He said, coughing violently. "The Faunus are helping them."

Junior nodded. "Right, good. Alert the others and get a move on." He said, dismissing the goon who only nodded and left the four to their own devices again.

"Well. Seems they've sprung their trap." I said humorlessly.

Junior nodded once. "That they have." He met my gaze. "Jaune, I'm sending you up there to take care of it. Take the same team you had. If you encounter one of their leadership, kill or capture them. I don't care which."

I nodded, getting up from my seat to head towards the door. I paused before I left, glancing back over my shoulder at Junior who was clearly showing the stress that was putting on him. "Don't stress it, Junior. I can hold my own."

Junior rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you can, kid. Now scram, I'm not in the business of losing a load of supplies."

I chuckled and turned, pushing out the door.

I was met rather quickly with Not Jerry. "I heard there was an attack. I take it we're being sent?" He asked, almost eagerly.

I chuckled and nodded. Before I could say anything, he said something about getting the others and dashing off. I mentally shrugged and pressed on out the door.

Not Jerry returned a few minutes later, the same team I had been with earlier in tow. Granted, we were down two men, but it was close enough.

I nodded at the man. "Well done, Paul." I said, watching as his face lit up at actually being called his real name.

I took off into a run towards the Faunus slums. I didn't know exactly where I was going, but as I got closer, I figured that the sounds of gunshots and fighting would be enough to guide me the rest of the way there.

After a few minutes of running, I did in fact find my ears guiding me to the sounds of combat. Lots of gunshots. _Here's to hoping that we're not too late._ I thought to myself as we rounded another corner, making straight towards the sounds of fighting. _Odd, there are no sirens. I wonder if that has something to do with this being near the Faunus slums?_

I was taken from my thoughts as we reached the end of the block.

A bloodbath was our greetings.

Faunus, and goons from both sides were injured, and blood was in the streets. Cars that had been parked on the street were littered with bullet holes, many with shattered windows and flat tires.

I didn't have much time to look over the scene before bullets started raining down towards me and my team. We all scattered, diving for cover where we could find it.

I found myself crouching down behind a car next to a goon who was now dead, clutching onto his pistol. _Shit, buddy._ Was all I could think as I saw the bullet hole in his head. I swallowed and took the weapon from his hands, holding it with shaky hands.

I glanced down the street, seeing that we had several goons still crouching behind cars, being held down by gunfire from the other side of the street. I glanced up at the old abandoned buildings that had several of our guys leaning out windows to fire at those who were pressing the attack.

I peeked around the side of the car that was my cover, finding that across the street there were several Area 37 goons in their gray suits pushing forward, trying to rush our pinned down forces. They were gunned down pretty quickly.

Not Jerry joined me in cover behind the car, firing blindly into the street. "Any plans in that head of yours to pull us out of this?" He asked, peeking over the hood of the car for a moment.

"Yeah, about that." I said, ducking slightly as a hail of bullets hit the wall behind me. "We're outnumbered, especially with the Faunus helping them. We're pinned down and spread out." At this point I was thinking out loud. "We need to fall back, let them have the streets with little to no cover. If we can get into the building, we might be able to lure them into traps."

Not Jerry nodded. "Right, so how're we going to do about that? Like you said, we're pretty solidly pinned down here."

I growled lowly, tossing the pistol I had taken aside. "Working on it."

I got up onto one knee and glanced over the street. Area 37 had a small force pushing forward, armed mostly with swords and axes. From behind them, there were several Faunus and other goons firing blindly to keep us pinned down.

_If only I had fire Dust, I could improvise another grenade like I did with the police…_ I trailed off, glancing back at the building. "That's the supply depot, right?" I asked, ducking back down next to Not Jerry.

"It is. Why?"

"I need you to run inside and get me the biggest fire Dust crystal you can find." To his credit, he only nodded and dashed inside, barely avoiding being hit by a barrage of gunfire.

Despite the covering fire that they were getting, Area 37's goons rushing at our line were cut down before they caught those of us in the street out.

Not Jerry returned a moment later, holding a pair of fire Dust crystals in hand. "These are the biggest I could find." He said, passing them to me.

_Not quite as big as I was hoping, but big enough._ "Good." I said, feeling the weight of them in my hands.

"What'd you need dust for?" He asked, firing blindly over the car once more.

"Improvised explosive. Seeing as I don't have grenades, and I doubt Junior does either, this will have to do." I said, peeking over the rear of the car.

They had stopped sending goons at us, though were still raining bullets down almost constantly. Most of their gunfire was coming from on street level, behind cars and from alleyways.

_Now the question is can I throw this far enough to get it to their cover?_ Another glance, and it looked to me like maybe twenty feet. _I'm willing to bet I can._

"Alright, so here's the plan. You've still got bullets, right?" I asked, looking to Not Jerry.

"I do."

"Good. I'm going to throw one of these at the car they're using for cover. I want you to shoot it if it doesn't ignite upon impact with the concrete. Got it?"

Not Jerry frowned for a moment. "I'm not the best shot, but I'll see what I can do."

I sighed. "It'll have to do; we don't have another option."

I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes as I let it out. _Alright, let's do this._

I stood up, throwing the crystal as hard as I could at one of the cars they were using as cover. It felt like time slowed down as I watched the crystal soar through the air. Tumbling end over end as it arced over the street. It clattered down about a foot away from the car I had thrown it at.

Time resumed to normal and I threw myself to the concrete. I glanced to Not Jerry and nodded. He peeked out from behind the car and fired several times.

It was the fourth shot that hit, causing a rather sizable explosion of fire, fire which caught the fuel tank of the car, causing that to go up in smoke as well.

Without missing a beat, I scrambled up and threw the other crystal I had been brought at the other car. This time, those who were using it for cover started to scramble away, into the open. Regardless, Not Jerry fired, eventually hitting the crystal and sending it up in flames as well.

I grinned, feeling pleased with myself. I drew Crocea Mors and stepped out from cover, using the shield to cover my chest from any unwanted gunfire. Several of the goons followed suit, joining me as we made our way across the street with gunfire covering us.

Down an alleyway, I saw a large number of goons beating a hasty retreat. The goons that came across the street with me were engaging in fights with others from Area 37.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked around, having Not Jerry stick with me as we pushed down one of the alleyways.

We neared the end of the alley, seeing that it would dump us into a small cross section where several other alleys would meet. From what I could see in the low light, there were several Area 37 goons gathered around. There was one man who stood out, though.

He was of average height, with a stocky build to him. He stood out due to the armor he wore, clearly not just a simple goon, but one of the lieutenants that was here to run this battle.

I glanced to Not Jerry and motioned that we need to back out and get more help. He nodded, and as quietly as we could manage, we started to creep away.

Thankfully, we weren't caught out. We returned to the street, and several goons were finishing up their fights.

"We're not done yet, boys. Up you get." I called out. Most of the goons gave me the look of 'why should we listen to you?'

I sighed, shaking my head. "There's one of their lieutenants back there. Wonder how much Junior would compensate you if you had a hand in taking him down?" That got people moving, and I couldn't help but to smile slightly.

Now with about fifteen goons backing me, we rushed the alleyway. We burst into their little command area. Surveying it now, we were still out numbered by about two to one. Not impossible odds, but not favorable ones either.

None of the goons hesitated getting into fights and opening fire on those who weren't ready. I eyed the commander who only grinned at me. He was young, maybe his early twenties or so. He had short brown hair and completely average, that is to say if you could ignore the tattoos he had on his face, along with the piercings he had in his lips, nose, and eyebrow.

It was not a good look, not on him. Not on anyone, really.

He had a mace in hand as he eyed me with a toothy smile, showing his missing teeth as well.

I took my chance and charged at him, aiming to use my shield to batter him, giving me a way into his defense.

He had other plans, stepping off to the left side of me. He made an attempt to hit my exposed back, though I kept moving for a moment before I skidded to a stop, turning to face him as he was charging at me.

I caught his mace on my shield, still feeling the impact as it clashed onto my shield. I stepped forward, slamming my shield up towards his face, landing a blow that stunned him for a moment. I came into his guard, pulling my shield away to keep his mace occupied.

He followed along right behind his mace, dancing out of my range, circling around me as he made a heavy hit against my mid back, sending me stumbling forward. I growled lowly as I spun back to face him again.

His grin was gone, his face completely impassive. I charged at him once again, and once again, he dodged off to the left, making to swing at my back. This blow landed this time, sending me off balance as I stumbled forward again.

He pressed his attack on me, landing another blow to my back, knocking me down onto the concrete below. He stood over me, bringing his mace high over his head to bash me down. I only grinned slightly and rolled off to one side, his attack missing completely.

I hopped back to my feet, quick to use my sword to slash at him, landing a solid blow on his shoulder. I took a moment to eye the rest of the battle. As it turns out, Area 37's goons are worse trained than Junior's. The battle had turned from favoring them to favoring us.

The lieutenant lunged at me, grabbing the top of my shield as he brought his mace around to hit me in the head. I just barely managed to bring my sword up to catch the blow.

I swept my foot at his ankles, raking his feet out from under him. He went toppling down to the concrete like a sack of potatoes.

I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass, so I delivered a swift kick to his crotch, getting no response from him. I glared at him, slamming my foot down onto his stomach, knocking the air out of him.

He wrapped his hands around my ankle and pulled me down on top of him. Before I had known what was happening, he had flipped me over on my back and was now wailing on me in return.

His knee made impact in my crotch more than once, his fists slamming into my jaw time and time again making me start to see stars.

I growled, summoning what strength I had to throw him off of me, only just barely. I scrambled away from his prone form as he got back to his feet, getting up as he did. I was only slightly faster, likely thanks to not wearing armor. I charged at him again, slashing down towards his head.

My blow didn't land. He had dodged out of the way and was on his feet once again, eyeing me carefully.

He didn't even look winded or phased by any of the hits I had dealt to him. I, on the other hand, was sweating and out of breath as I wearily watched him.

He charged at me once again, and I avoided him, not willing to let him get too close. As he skidded to a stop and turned to me once again, I charged at him in return. _Every time he's avoided me, he's gone to the left. I wonder…_

As he dodged away, I slammed my shield off to the left, catching him right in the face. I turned as fast as I could and brought my sword down in a slash across his armored chest. I doubted if I did all that much damage, but it was a start.

He gripped the blade of my sword and tried to rip it from my grasp.

As he was doing that, Not Jerry had finished his battle and leveled his pistol at my enemy, unloading several bullets into his back.

That caught him off guard enough for him to slacken his grip on my sword, letting me rip it from his grasp.

Now with Not Jerry helping me, this would be easier I thought.

And it was.

Now with two targets to focus on, he could only do so much. I charged at him, stopping just short as he dodged off to the left again, slicing my sword towards him, glancing his arm with the tip of the blade. I still thought the blade was longer.

Not Jerry followed up, firing several rounds into his side, having the lieutenant turn to face him.

I leapt at him then, attempting to drive my sword into his back. I was stopped by a mix of Aura and armor as he threw me off, sending me into the wall behind me.

I groaned, looking up at him as he came closer.

I grit my teeth and charged at him, aiming to make a slash across his chest.

He didn't dodge, instead, he met my sword with his mace, stepping into my guard and slamming his head up into my nose.

I growled as I had Crocea Mors ripped from my hand, the sword clattering off across the alley.

I didn't let that deter me as I charged once again.

I sent him to the ground with this charge. Without my sword, I held the shield in both hands, and slammed the point of the shield down into his head.

I didn't notice his Aura shatter as I slammed my shield down again.

There was a sickening crack, as well as the feeling of my shield going farther than it should've, and then warm blood seeping out onto my hands.

I blinked as I looked down. I had just bashed his skull in. I had just killed him.

I stared at his unmoving form for a moment, my mind nothing but static.

Not Jerry rested a hand on my shoulder, and I leaned over and wretched violently.

_What have I done?_

I stayed there for a moment, breathing heavily as I gathered my wits.

I eventually got to my feet, gingerly taking my shield and retrieving my sword. I sheathed the sword and strapped it back to my side.

I looked back to Not Jerry and the few goons who were still standing at the end of this. "We did what we came to do." I said simply.

I didn't wait for anyone's response as I headed back the way we came, leaving that scene behind.

* * *

**Well, that was a thing. Definitely a thing.**

**Junior's got a rat, and Jaune's killed his first person. At least, directly. This is the first time he's seeing the repercussions for his actions.**

**Now for the reviews, my favorite bit.**

**Greer - I'm glad you think so, man. The rest of team RWBY will show up later, and that's something that I've got to wonder. Who will be their other two members? They're down a Yang and a Ruby. If anyone has suggestions, I'll gladly hear them in the reviews.**

**Engineer - I'm glad you like it man. As far as when they meet, who knows, we may see the greatest cute off that the world has ever seen. Nobody is sure who they want to see him with, I don't think. Well, we do have people firmly in both camps I think, but there's not been a lot of loud voicing of it. I can only say that this is exactly what I wanted, seeing people unsure of which girl he'll decide on.**

**Caboose - Oh yes. That was actually the scene I wrote that inspired this whole story, so when that comes around it'll be a lot of fun I think.**

**Guest - Thanks man.**

**Forest - Well, here's some more. Hope you enjoy.**

**Exiled Darkness - Welcome back, buddy. But yeah, I feel you about the Lancaster fluff. That's probably why it's my all time favorite ship, they're both so cute. But who knows, it might not look like it, but we're in the early days. Ruby can still steal the show. As far as the protective older sister bit, I feel like it'd be a bit different here seeing as she doesn't get to be around Ruby constantly, she's more concerned for her and all that. You are also right, Jaune is a thug, but they don't know that. Yet.**

**BookishTen - You can prefer Neo all you like, and I appreciate the question. I have made the decision to keep it unlisted because if I listed it as one or the other, I'd be missing a lot of the readership who might enjoy the story. Even then, it makes you all wonder and question which girl it'll be and I like that.**

**X3 - I'm glad you liked the Lancaster fluff, I really liked writing it. A nice way to destress and relax. As far as what Yang will say, we dunno. As for Ren, that might happen, seeing as he needs someone with their head on straight who is also male to not make him want to scream in pain and terror. As far as the sword and mechashift, I dunno man, I'll do whatever really comes to mind when that comes about. I have a concept, but I'll take what you're pointing out the issues into account. As far as Pyrrha, who knows. I do have a plan for her. As far as Ruby putting her symbol on it without realizing the implications, that would be rather amusing, adorable, and fun to read and write. I'll take it into consideration. I'm glad you enjoy and are continuing to come back.**

**Ubivashka- Thank you. As far as another crazy stupid Yang, just keep in mind that Jaune's only met her twice, one which was him out with Ruby late at night in a sketchy part of town, and the second sounds a whole lot like a date. She's got ample reason to be suspicious. There's also the fact that we're only seeing things from Jaune's PoV, so he might see things differently than others do.**

**Specter - Awesome, I've been being told that it was fine, so that makes me happy. RIP Ren indeed, poor guy. He can handle Nora and that's fine, but leading a completely distant Pyrrha, and Yang to boot? The stress that storm of personality would bring is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. I'm sorry, but also not sorry, Ren. You will be remembered. As far as armor, that is coming real soon. Once we finish with this little gang war that Jaune started.**

**And with that, I think that's all my reviews for last chapter.**

**I thank you all for sticking around and supporting this story, it really makes my day.**

**For anyone who is new, feel free to follow and favorite if you want to support my writing and want to know when I update this story.**

**And for those who are feeling particularly kind, feel free to drop a review, I do read them all, and respond to them in my next published chapter as you can see above.**

**Next Update: Monday, April 22nd**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Late on a Monday evening, I present to you the next chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 8]

I slumped down into the first available booth I saw when I entered the Club. A quick glance at myself, and I was covered in blood, ruining yet another perfectly good goon suit that Junior had supplied me with.

Not far behind me, the rest of my team came staggering in. Most of them were bloodied themselves, broken bones, gunshot wounds, stabs, whatever else. Very few of us were lucky enough to come out with only minor injuries.

I suspect that I only managed it because of Aura, not through any real skill.

I went ignored, and that was fine by me. Those with severe injuries were rushed into back rooms to be tended to, and others who could wait were left to try and relax, to enjoy a brief respite from the fighting while they waited for their wounds to be seen to.

_A man pinned to the ground. A shield slamming into his head repeatedly. Blood. The haunting look of acceptance in his eyes. The last breath slipping from his lips. That was me. I ended his life._

Despite my best efforts, the scene kept on running through my mind.

_I ended his life._

I felt like I wanted to be sick again, but more than that; I wanted to forget. I didn't want to see his face. I didn't want to see that scene. I didn't want to see the blood seep from his shattered skull.

I closed my eyes. _Deep breaths. Think happy thoughts. Think about Ruby and her plans to upgrade Crocea Mors. Think about Roman, the man who took you out of the gutter and gave you a chance. Think about Neo, deranged as she may be, she's not bad company._

I opened my eyes as I heard someone slide into the booth across from me. I came face to face with a concerned looking Junior.

"You alright there, kid?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "I'm fine, no injuries other than a bruised Aura."

Junior narrowed his eyes at me. "Not what I meant, Jaune."

I sighed. "Fuck if I know, Junior." I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. "You were right. They had one of their higherups there, shorter guy with tattoos all over his face."

Junior nodded, electing to remain silent.

"Well, I killed him. Bashed his skull in with my shield." I continued on, shaking my head. "I watched as the life left him, and what's going to haunt me the most; he accepted it. He knew he was about to die, but the look in his eyes wasn't fear. It was acceptance."

Junior sighed. "Your first kill is always the hardest, Jaune. It never really leaves you." He paused for a moment, calling a goon over. "Bring me two glasses and a bottle of whiskey." The goon nodded and made his way off to fill Junior's order.

He rounded back on me then. "But keep it in mind that it was him or you." The glasses and bottle were delivered and the goon quickly left the two of us alone. "He wouldn't have thought twice about killing you if it meant he could live."

Junior poured me a glass of whiskey and slid it across to me. I nodded, eyeing the amber substance wearily. "But I didn't have to kill him. I could've knocked him out, took him as prisoner. I didn't need to end his life." I muttered, taking a long drink from the glass.

Junior hummed, sipping at his own drink. "Maybe you didn't. But you did. He's now dead, and there's nothing to gain by beating yourself up over it."

I looked up to Junior, holding the now empty glass out for him to fill again. "Does it get easier? Will each and every one of their faces haunt me?"

Junior frowned for a moment as he poured me another glass. "In some ways, yes it does." He sighed, taking a longer drink from his glass. "It's never pleasant, but slowly it starts to effect you less. You learn that, especially in this line of work, its kill or be killed."

He paused for a moment longer to pour himself another glass. "And to be honest, kid, I'd like to tell you that their faces won't haunt you, that you won't always see them, but I don't know." Junior began to chew on his lower lip as his gaze began to drift, not looking at anything, but lost in memory.

I took another long drink from my glass, glancing about the Club. "What do you mean you don't know, Junior?"

Junior turned his gaze back to me as he thought. "I mean that I don't know. I've killed, I had to so that I can be where I am today, but their memory doesn't haunt me." Junior laughed bitterly, taking a long drink to polish off his glass. "Not even my old man."

I arched a brow at that, leaning forward in my seat. "You killed your dad?"

Junior chuckled darkly and nodded. "How else do you think I took over the Red Axe Gang? Transition of power is never peaceful, not in the underworld. I wanted power, I wanted control, I wanted respect. My old man stood in the way of those things, so I killed him."

"Even then, it didn't bother me. It was the start of my rise to power, the start of the next chapter in my life. I don't look back and regret killing him, even if he was my father." Junior hummed quietly to himself for a moment. "All I can tell you, kid, is to keep moving forward. Don't look back, don't think what if, don't dwell on it."

I nodded, downing another glass and refilling it for myself. "Keep moving forward. Right."

Junior got up from the booth, leaving me with the whiskey and my glass. "It'll get easier, Jaune. You did the right thing, protecting yourself and my boys."

I nodded to him. "If you say so."

Junior rested a hand on my shoulder, prompting me to look up and meet his gaze. "Go home, kid. You've done enough for tonight. Get some rest, and I'll contact you when I need you again." He said offering me a small smile.

"Alright."

Junior sighed, squeezing my shoulder and leaving me to my own devices again.

_Its kill or be killed in this line of work. He wouldn't have thought twice about ending my life. I protected myself and Junior's men. Then why does it feel like a pit has opened in my stomach?_

I finished off the glass I had been holding, eyeing the bottle then_. He left it here with me. I doubt he'd care if I took it_. I pushed myself out of the booth, grabbing the bottle as I made my way to the door.

I went ignored by the goons I passed, most of them nursing wounds that weren't going to kill them. I saw a few familiar faces from my assault team who only nodded to me as I pushed on. I didn't pay them any mind as I exited the Club into the cool night air of Vale.

I walked on, making my way back to Roman's apartment. I took periodical swigs of the whiskey Junior had given me. I was at least vaguely aware that it wasn't cheap, but I couldn't have cared any less.

Winds picked up, howling through the streets as it cut through my bloodied and torn goon suit like wet tissue paper. I felt the chill crawl up my spine, though found that I didn't care. My whole body was still numb.

Shakily, I brought the bottle to my lips, savoring in the warmth that it brought as the liquid came to settle in my stomach.

I had stopped paying much attention to time, so it could've been minutes, or hours, but I eventually found my way back to the apartment I called home. I pushed through the door, making sure to close and lock it behind me.

I surveyed the main room; all was quiet and still. No sign of Roman or Neo. _Guess they're still out on whatever mission Roman needed Neo for._ I shrugged a shoulder and made towards my room, bringing the bottle back to my lips.

It was empty.

I growled lowly and tossed it aside somewhere in my room. I'd pick it up in the morning. I stripped off the ruined goon suit that was drenched in blood, not caring as I tossed that away as well.

I crawled into my bed, not feeling all that tired yet.

I stared at my hands still shaking. I took in a deep breath and let it out shakily_. Its kill or be killed. Keep moving forward. I did the right thing, I protected myself and those under my command._

I closed my eyes, letting my hands fall back to my sides.

_A man pinned to the ground. A shield slamming into his head. His Aura shattering. Blood. Blood seeping from a hole bashed into his skull. His eyes that accepted his fate, as if it were perfectly normal. There was no fear, no terror. Only cold acceptance. Acceptance that I had killed him, that I was the last face he'd ever see._

I took in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. _Don't dwell on it. Keep moving forward_. Junior's voice echoed in my head.

Another shaky breath_. I didn't have to kill him. I shattered his Aura. I beat him. He didn't have to die_.

Another slow exhale_. I did what I had to. I killed him to protect myself and my crew. It's part of the job after all._ I wasn't sure I believed it.

I felt the tendrils of sleep start to wrap around me, dragging me down into the abyss. I saw his face: tattoos, impassive look, blood rolling down his features, a gaping hole in his forehead. I killed him.

_[-/-]_

_I was sat on the living room floor, shuffling a deck of cards as I looked at my three sisters. Erin was kneeling to my right, glaring at Joanne who was on my left._

_"I hate you; you know that?" Erin said pointedly._

_Joanne just shrugged a shoulder. "You're just mad that you're in last place."_

_"Because you decided that it would be fun to give me Queen of Spades. Again."_

_Annabelle frowned. "Yeah, well, at least we stopped you from shooting the moon."_

_Erin grumbled to herself. "Traitors, all of you."_

_I chuckled, shuffling the cards together one last time. "That's the danger of trying to shoot the moon like that, sis. You run the risk of missing one card and it all comes down on top of you."_

_"Like you're one to talk, only five points separating us." Erin huffed as I began to deal the cards out._

_"Still means I'm not in last place." I said with a grin._

_Hands were dealt, cards counted, and the game began all as per usual._

_"Jaune, this hand is a mess. Where did you learn to deal?" Joanne asked, sorting her cards idly._

_"Yeah, Jaune. This is an absolute wreck." Erin complained, glaring at her cards._

_"Quit whining you two and play the hands you've been dealt." Annabelle said, her poker face on point._

_I chuckled and shrugged a shoulder, sorting through my hand as well. "I learned from you, Joanne. You have only yourself to blame."_

_She grumbled at that, though didn't bother to respond._

_The front door to the house was thrown open rather violently, getting all of our attention focused on the sudden noise._

_Our father, Jason Arc, came stumbling in through the door. His clothes were soaked with blood, and none of us could tell if it was his or not._

_"Julia! Get the first aid kit!" He shouted into the house as he stumbled forward, clutching at his stomach. Looking closer, I could see blood slipping between his fingers._

_The four of us sat on the floor were wide eyed and shocked, remaining completely still as we stared at our wounded father._

_I snapped out of it first, throwing my cards down as I rushed to his side. "Dad! What happened?" I asked, not all too sure of what to do._

_"Something went wrong, that's what happened, Jaune." He said as he staggered down the hall and into the kitchen. By now my sisters had joined me as we followed hurriedly after him. _

_Mom was in the kitchen with the first aid kit on the counter. She didn't seem shocked at the wound and took one of his arms in hand and helped him to the kitchen table, letting him lay down on it._

_Scared, I looked to Mom. "Is dad going to be okay? Should we call for a doctor?"_

_"No. No doctor. Your mother can handle this." Dad said from his place on the table._

_Mom just nodded at me as she went about cutting the cloth away from the wound on his stomach._

_"Alright, Erin, I want you to run upstairs and grab some sheets." Mom said calmly. "Annabelle, come here. I want you to put pressure on the wound like this."_

_"Joanne, go run some water and get it boiling." My sisters all ran about doing their tasks, I looked to Mom questioningly._

_"What should I do, Mom?" I asked, wanting desperately to help._

_"Jaune, honey, just stay out of the way." She said quietly._

_"But I want to help!" I cried out._

_"Do as your mother says, Jaune."_

_"But Dad! You're hurt and I want to help!"_

_"Damnit, Jaune, do as you're told and keep out of the way!" Mom shouted at me, making me shrink back in on myself._

_"Okay…" I said quietly, shuffling awkwardly out of the room._

_I sat in my room and listened as Dad howled in pain downstairs, knowing that Mom and my sisters were doing everything they could to help him while I was told to stay out of the way rather than help. _

_I cried as I listened to Dad's writhing in pain a floor below me, knowing that I wasn't thought to be able to help. They didn't want my help, they just sent me out so they could work._

_I fell asleep crying as I listened to them working downstairs._

_[-/-]_

I awoke with a start, breathing heavily and sweating. The second thing that hit me was the incredible pain in my head, the pain that felt like someone decided that it would be a good idea to have a firework show inside my skull.

I groaned as I rubbed my eyes, fumbling around on my nightstand searching for my scroll. After a few moments I found it, opening it up. I found that the light it produced was immense and blinding as the sun. it also only managed to make my headache worse.

Blinded, I struggled to find the slider to turn down its brightness. Eventually, though, I found it. I turned it to the lowest possible setting. I found that it was still painful to look at, but at least now I wasn't blind and it didn't hurt like my eyes were being burnt out of my head.

Apparently, it was 16:30. I didn't know when I had fallen asleep last night, nor did I particularly care. With a groan, I got out of bed and stumbled about, finding that now that I was on my feet, the world was spinning more than it should be. Rooms don't move on their own. Usually.

I blinked several times, trying to find a balance and to dispel the dizziness that I was struck with. My eyes shifted to the pile of clothes that I had shed last night, the goon suit now crusted with dried blood and sweat was completely useless to me.

At the sight of blood, I keeled over and vomited on the floor.

Grumbling as I straightened up, I staggered to my closet and pulled out a change of clothes. I didn't bother pulling them on, more than aware that I probably stunk like the walking dead. I made my way out of my room and towards the bathroom.

I needed a shower.

I stepped into the bathroom and made sure to lock the door. Not that it would stop either Roman or Neo if they wanted entry, but it might at least tell them that someone's in here.

I turned on the shower and stepped in, finding that I had not turned on the warm water, only the cold. I yelped as the freezing cold water impacted my skin, doing a lot to wake me up properly.

Now slightly more awake, I turned on the warm water and let it sink in, enjoying the encompassing warmth.

I let myself relax slightly, the warm water pulling some of the tension out of my muscles which were still wound tightly.

I emerged from the shower about fifteen minutes later, feeling just a little bit better than before.

I changed into dry clothes and made my way back into the apartment proper.

Neo was present, laying on the couch enjoying a nap. A survey of the room revealed to me that Roman was either not present, or was asleep in his room. In truth, it didn't matter much. Not really, anyway.

I went and started on making a pot of coffee despite the fact that it was about five in the afternoon.

I took out my scroll and found that I had a few unread messages from Ruby, as well as from a few unknown numbers to me.

_Ruby: Hey Jaune. I had a lot of fun yesterday, nice to be out of the house and all. We should do it again._

_Ruby: Oh, and here's some plans I drew up for your sword if you want to take a look at that._

_Ruby: Last thing, I promise. Yang made me give her your number. I just thought that I'd warn you before you get caught off guard by that._

I chuckled and shook my head, opening the next set of messages.

_Unknown: Hey there, Jauney-Boy. It's me, Nora! So, you skipped out on talking to us last night because of work, but that excuse won't work again. If you try it, I'll break your knees and make you stay._

I blinked, re-reading that message. _I have no idea how to respond to that._

_Unknown: Hey, Jaune. It's Ren. We should meet and have tea sometime._

I shrugged at that. _Tea isn't my thing, but Ren seemed a nice enough guy. Might take him up on that offer._

_Unknown: If I hear that you've done anything to her, I will break you._

I didn't even need to be told the name to know that was Yang. She was the only one who wanted to end my existence.

I glanced back at the pot of coffee and found that ever so slowly it was filling up. I shrugged a shoulder and took the pot, pouring myself a cup before putting it back and wandering towards the living area.

Neo had yet to move from her spot splayed over the couch, taking up far more space than a girl her size should be able to.

I sighed and found that there was just enough room for me to squeeze into a comfortable sitting position. I leaned back, taking a sip of my coffee. I looked around for the remote, finding that it was partly sticking out from under Neo.

_Not about to even try that. I'd like to keep my hand._

Deciding that I was without entertainment by TV, I leaned back into the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

I saw his face again. _Ink. Blood. Acceptance._ I shuddered slightly, blowing a breath out through my nose as I tried my best to push the image of him out of my mind.

Next to me, Neo shifted slightly, the top of her head coming to be pressed against my thigh. I looked down at her still sound asleep form.

She really was cute. Normally her face is contorted into something that would give full grown men nightmares, but now? She looked at peace, calm, gentle even. Most people would be hard pressed to tell you that she was a psychotic little assassin. I couldn't help the small smile that came to my lips as I eyed her.

Neo shifted again, letting her head rest on my thigh as though it were a pillow as she stretched across the couch. I shook my head and took another drink of coffee, letting out a small sigh as I looked back up at the ceiling.

I closed my eyes and did my best to relax. _Blood. Blood everywhere._ I let out a breath through my nose, trying to ignore the scene that was being built in my head. _I was on top of him. I bashed a hole in his skull._ I swallowed, determined not to let this get to me. _He wasn't afraid. He didn't care. He accepted it._

My eyes shot open, and I was breathing more raggedly. I took in a deep breath and pushed it out through my nose. _I did what I had to do. It was me or him._ I repeated to myself. I let my gaze track back to Neo who was laying with her head in my lap now.

I definitely wasn't moving any time soon, at least it didn't seem that way. I took out my scroll and started responding to messages I had.

First up was Ruby who had sent me several concepts for weapon designs.

The first one I opened remained generally true to the original. It was a simple sword and shield for its primary form. When sheathed, though, the sword could be changed into a shotgun. There were several scribblings about how it worked, though most of it was beyond me.

The second document she had sent me was similar, though this one rather than having a shotgun, the blade flipped down to reveal a pistol. That one seemed a lot simpler to my eye, though still far beyond any of my knowledge of mechashift.

The last one she sent me ditched the sword and shield all together. It was a simple two-handed sword which could mechashift into a shotgun or rifle of some nature if I chose. She had notes saying that it was a little more flexible seeing as she doesn't have to worry about the sheath and shield anymore.

I hummed quietly as I looked over each of the designs, finding that I didn't particularly like the last one. To me, Crocea Mors was always a one-handed sword and shield, and it should retain that ability to be so. I found the first design the most attractive to me, the idea of a shotgun and sword and shield was something I could get behind.

_Jaune: Hey, Ruby. I just checked out your designs, and I'm mostly partial to the first one, though all three are pretty damn cool._

I took another sip of coffee as I scrolled through and found Ren's contact.

_Jaune: I'm not much for tea, but if you want to meet up, I'm willing._

What I wasn't expecting was a near instant reply.

_Ren: Good, you're my ticket to a more peaceful night. What do you say same café I met you at in about an hour?_

_Jaune: An hour? I don't know that I'll be able to make that. I don't even know if I can do it today._

_Ren: Alright. What about tomorrow then? Anything pressing there?_

_Jaune: I don't think so, no._

_Ren: So tomorrow, same place, say four?_

_Jaune: Works for me._

_Ren: Great._

I blinked, re-reading that series of messages. He seemed particularly ready to get out and do something. I was about to continue on to Nora, though got a new message from Ruby.

_Ruby: Cool, I can start getting parts together in the next couple days, and then I'll need you to give me your sword so I can do some work on it._

_Jaune: Right, you want to work on my sword. Wonder if this is what your sister meant by if I do anything to you._

_Ruby: Oh god, she threatened to kill you, didn't she? I'm sorry, she's just a little paranoid._

_Jaune: Don't sweat it, Red._

_Ruby: You sure?_

_Jaune: Yeah. I'll be fine._

_Ruby: If you say so._

_Jaune: When you've got the parts together, shoot me a message and I'll swing by to drop Crocea Mors off with you._

_Ruby: Okay._

Neo shifted again on my lap, hugging my leg tightly. I couldn't help but to chuckle at that.

Down the hall, I heard Roman's door creak open, and the master thief make his way out into the living area.

"Well, now isn't that just adorable." He said sleepily, stretching his arms over his head.

I shrugged a shoulder. "I sat down and she latched on in her sleep."

Roman chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say, kid." He wandered into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee as well.

He returned a moment later and raised his mug towards me. "Thanks for making the coffee, kid."

I shrugged a shoulder. "I woke up and needed coffee. Only made sense."

Roman nodded, taking a sip of his. "Still nice not to have to make it myself for once." He glanced at the TV and then saw the remote that was sticking out from under Neo. He likely came to the same conclusion that I did. "How'd your mission go last night? Get the job done?"

I frowned. "Not particularly, no. Junior's got a rat in his ranks somewhere, they caught wind of the plan and they all pulled out real quick. We got a load of nothing for the trouble." I paused for a moment. "They also launched an attack of their own aimed at one of Junior's supply depots. It was lightly guarded, and they had Faunus on their side."

I took another sip of coffee. "Junior sent me to go clean it up. Managed to push 'em back."

Roman nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "Good stuff, kid."

I shook my head. "Not exactly." Roman arched a brow at that. "There's still the rat problem, we're not sure how to get him gone."

Roman hummed quietly as he thought. "Could go scorched earth, start scaring the hell out of the goons until the rat has had enough and bolts."

I shook my head. "We thought about it, but Junior wants the rat alive and able to be questioned."

Roman sighed, shaking his head. "Well, that makes things ten times harder." He paused as he thought, sipping at his coffee still. "What you do is split his goons into teams and have them guarding different parts of his territory. Tell each team that there'll be a convoy of something moving somewhere near the front, each group has different info. Keep an eye on where they try and hit, and you've got your rat."

I nodded. "We thought about that too, but the goons can always talk to one another, and they'll figure out that it's a hoax quick."

Roman shook his head. "Not so. You've got them all separated, no easy way for them to contact another group. That's why you'd want them on guard duty somewhere. Keep cycling the groups until your rat shows."

I nodded slowly, agreeing with what he had said. "Makes a fair bit of sense, minimizes the risk to boot."

Roman chuckled and nodded, setting his mug down on the table next to him. "What did you expect, I'm the best criminal in all of Vale after all."

I rolled my eyes. "That you are, Roman. That you are."

Roman got up from his recliner and dropped his mug off in the kitchen. "Well, I'm gonna grab a shower." He said to no one in particular. "While it might be fun to fool him, Neo, you're not goon enough to fool me." He said with a smile.

I looked down at Neo and she shifted again, one pink eye cracked open to look up at me. I arched a brow at her as I met her gaze.

She released my leg and got up, stretching her arms behind her, causing several bones to crack. She yawned and wandered into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a tub of ice cream for herself.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked with an arched brow. She shrugged a shoulder, digging into her desert.

"And that whole using me as a pillow bit, you awake for that too?"

Again, she shrugged a shoulder, not willing to tell me.

I sighed, shaking my head. "You're impossible to talk to, you know that?"

She looked up and tilted her head slightly.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

She frowned and shook her head.

"You're not nearly as amusing as you think you are, Neo."

She shrugged yet again, digging back in to her frozen treat.

I shook my head again. "Don't know why I even bother."

I grabbed the remote while I could and flipped on the TV, finding that it was tuned to the news.

I didn't bother listening to what the anchor was talking about, something to do with another major heist targeted at a large dust shop. I could only assume that it was Roman and Neo's handywork.

Neo tapped me on the shoulder and held out her scroll. _How'd it go last night?_

"You were awake to hear me tell Roman. Doubt the story was that good to have it retold."

Neo frowned and typed out another message. _Not what I meant. I meant the fight. You helping to protect that supply depot._

I began to chew on the inside of my cheek. "Everything went fine. I fought and lead the way for a bunch of Junior's goons."

Neo narrowed her eyes at me. _Something's got you on edge._

"And what makes you say that? I'm fine."

Neo mocked a sigh. _Because I could hear you trying to calm yourself down earlier? The whole deep breath bit was a dead giveaway._

"I'm fine, Neo." I insisted, not all that willing to tell her what was haunting me.

_No, you're not. Now tell me what's bothering you._ She insisted.

"Really, Neo. It's nothing for you to worry about."

_If it's nothing for me to worry about, you shouldn't have a problem telling me. Now spill._ She retorted.

"Fine. If you're so damn curious I'll tell you. One condition is you don't judge me, got it?"

Neo nodded.

"Alright then. Well, there's a bit more to the attack. I lead the forces to help push back the other gang's assault. We found one of their commanders in the back, and Junior wanted him dead or captured. I decided that I'd be stupid to leave it at just seeing him, so I got more men and went after him."

I let out a shaky sigh, closing my eyes. _Blood. Acceptance._ "He and I got into a fight. He wasn't the best I don't think, but still. It wasn't pretty. He and I went back and forth for a while until one of the goons I brought with me jumped in to help. Between the two of us, we took him down." I swallowed nervously. "I had him pinned down and… And I used my shield…"

I let out a shaky breath, shaking my head as I tried to keep it all straight. "I bashed his skull in. I shattered his Aura and I killed him." I bit on my lower lip, staring at the TV as the newscaster continued to talk about crime rates. "The worst part? I'll never forget the look of acceptance on his face. There was no fear, no terror, only quiet acceptance that I was his killer."

Neo didn't respond for a while, the only sound between us was the TV playing.

After a few minutes, Neo did hand me her scroll with a message typed up on it. _I'm sorry._ Was all it read. Two simple words. Nothing long winded, no long sprawling message about how to deal with it.

I chuckled darkly and handed her scroll back. "Yeah, I am too."

* * *

**I'll be honest, I'm not the proud of this chapter. I felt like it was kinda slow, not to mention a lot shorter than the rest. That's because of Easter, which I _totally _didn't forget about. Oops.**

**Well, on to reviews.**

**Greer - Yeah, Jaune's first kill really had an effect on him. Screwed him up a bit. In my first draft, it was a lot bloodier and gorier with more detail put into it, but I thought that it wasn't fun to read so I cut it down to being more simple.**

**X3 - Who knows, but maybe this chapter answered that question for you. As far as the twins, they'll be around. Just like NotJerry.**

**Guest - Indeed, my friend. Indeed.**

**Engineer - Well, here's your reaction. Or real lack of one, I suppose. Hard to tell, really. As for putting members of CRDL in with Blake and Weiss, that's not a bad idea. I smell suffering to write. As far as how long before Ren flees to join Jaune in criminality, who knows. Maybe next chapter, maybe in five chapters, maybe never.**

**Gasenator - Happy you enjoy the story. NotJerry started as a throwaway character, but rather than writing new goons every time, I decided that NotJerry could become the goon we come to know and enjoy.**

**Specter - Who knows, Jaune may not even uncover his semblance in this story. For all we know, Roman doesn't have a semblance and yet he's a bad ass fighter. But I do agree with you, different Jaune with a different set of goals and morals and all would likely be a different semblance. Glad you like the story.**

**And that's all my reviews for last chapter I think.**

**But yeah, sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter than the other before it. I completely forgot that this weekend was Easter, so I didn't get a lot of time to write. In exchange for this being a lot shorter, I'll cook you all up something special. Probably in the form of a one shot, or maybe an extra chapter. Who knows.**

**Until then, if you've enjoyed the story and want to support me and my writing, feel free to drop a follow and favorite, that really makes my day. And if you're feeling particularly kind, drop a review too. I read them all and respond to you in the next published chapter.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, April 26th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Another Friday, another Chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

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[Chapter 9]

"Not bad, blondie. Not bad." Roman said, turning to go find his cane that I had wrested from his grip.

I sat up, breathing hard. Everything hurt, though it was a normal day when that was the case. It was a rarity that not every part of me was aching from the training I did with either Roman or Neo.

"Yeah? Not bad still isn't enough to land a solid hit on you." I grumbled, struggling up to my feet so I could go recover Crocea Mors from nearby.

Roman chuckled and shrugged a shoulder as he turned to face me. "You know, maybe it is starting to get through your thick skull. You're learning!" Roman said smugly, laughing to himself. "My god, I never thought it possible; an Arc can learn after being taught the hard way less than twenty times."

I rolled my eyes. "Better I learn it late than never."

"Now the question at hand is how do you change that?" Roman asked, producing a cigar and lighting it up for himself. Where he hid them, I still don't know.

"I don't know, without a massive leap in my skill, or drastic fall in yours, I don't?"

Roman just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And we're back to square one." He muttered. "No, Jaune. You cheat. You rig the fight; you make it unfair." Roman spread his arms wide at the empty warehouse. "I've been doing that since we started sparring. This arena is empty, nothing here to give you an opportunity to rig up a way to beat me. I'm cheating, so why aren't you?"

I frowned, looking around the empty warehouse that we used as our training field. "I never thought about it like that." I thought for a moment, the fight I had with Roman in the apartment sticking out in my head. "When we fought in the apartment, I was able to use the terrain to my advantage, to lessen that skill gap."

Roman grinned. "Right you are, blondie. You used your surroundings to your advantage. Now, how do you do that here?"

I frowned and started to chew on my lower lip as I thought. "Well… I'd need terrain. Boxes, shelves, pallets, anything that isn't just flat concrete."

Roman took a puff off his cigar. "That'd help, but who's to say that I'll let you fill the arena with terrain? I'm the one who set it up, this is my territory. It'd be hard for you to do anything here without me knowing."

I narrowed my eyes at that, resting my hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "Hmm. Then I guess my best option is probably to lure you out of the arena. Lure you into my territory, somewhere I control."

Roman was still grinning as he nodded. "Go on."

I began to nod slowly. "If I can plan it out before hand, I can lay traps for you to hit, skew the battle so massively in my favor that the skill gap doesn't mean a thing, forcing you to either lose or retreat."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner." Roman said with a smile. "I've had this rigged since the start. You never stood a chance of beating me, still don't unless you can find a way to get one over on me."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Your cheat has been to disable mine so you can keep on pressing the skill difference." I sighed, rolling my shoulders back as I thought. "Don't know why it never clicked for me before that you were pulling something like that."

Roman shrugged. "You're like your old man; thicker in the head than should be possible."

I arched a brow at Roman. "You knew my dad?" _Is that why he took me in?_

Roman took a puff off his cigar. "Mmm, dunno. Tall, blonde, blue eyes, last name Arc, Huntsman? Any of that ring a bell?"

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, bad question. _How_ did you know my dad?"

Roman chuckled. "Better question, kid. I graduated Beacon same as he did."

I narrowed my eyes at the master thief. "Did you take me in because I'm his son?"

Roman took a puff off his cigar, pulled out his scroll and chuckled. "Hate to say it, champ, but we're all outta time for today's game of twenty questions. Better luck next time."

I sighed, shaking my head. _He dodged the question like a bullet. Can I take that as a yes?_ "I'll assume that means yes."

Roman shrugged as he pocketed his scroll once more. "You can think whatever you want, though do keep in mind; I am a fantastic liar as well as a criminal mastermind."

"Incredibly humble too." I said as I made my way towards the door that would lead us out and back towards the apartment.

"Finally, someone notices. I was beginning to wonder when they'd catch on to that trait." Roman said with a Cheshire grin, spinning his cane in hand as he puffed on his cigar.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, wishing now more than ever that I had the goon suit. For all that they don't always fit quite right, they're heavy enough and warm which I grew to appreciate as the nights in Vale got chillier.

As Roman and I walked through the evening, I found myself lost in thought. _He clearly knew my dad in some capacity. He said that they attended Beacon together. I know dad's team didn't really get along after graduation and they split up. I think Junior said something similar happened with Roman's team. They split after something happened._

_I wonder if they were teammates? Granted, Roman doesn't look the same age as my dad, he looks a fair bit younger. Looks are deceiving though, all I have to do is look at Neo who could pass as being fourteen or fifteen when in reality she's… I don't know how old she is. Huh._

_Back on track though, is there a chance that Roman and my dad were teammates? If that's the case, it'd explain Roman's taking me in so suddenly. But if that's the case, I wouldn't think that Roman would take me in at all if what Junior said was true. He didn't get along with his team after graduation and they split. If my dad were a teammate, I doubt he'd want anything at all to do with me._

"Hold up, kid." Roman said, shaking me from my musing.

"What's up?" I asked, glancing around.

Roman puffed on his cigar. "Alright, c'mon out, you've been caught." He called out to nobody in particular. I found myself looking around curiously.

There was nobody in sight, just the dark alleyways of Vale perforated occasionally by the odd streetlight that still had a working bulb.

"Roman? There's nobody here but us."

"Really? Then how do you explain them?" Roman asked, pointing his cane at an alleyway off to our right that had four men stepping into the light. "Or them?" Roman asked, pointing his cane to a different alley. "Or any of the others that are just now showing their faces?"

I tensed, letting my hand rest on the handle of Crocea Mors, ready to draw the blade should I need it.

All around us were goons wearing the uninspired gray and white goon suit of Area 37. They were all armed, some with rifles, and more still with assorted melee weapons that they could scrounge together. I glanced to Roman who looked just about at ease as could be, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Well, gentlemen, nice of you to join us on our walk. Something you wanted to ask?" Roman asked of the group with his smile not faltering even in the slightest.

"We're not here for you, Torchwick. We want the boy. Hand him over, and we'll leave you be." One of the goons called from in front of us.

He wasn't a standout at first glance, his suit much like all the others. Though what did make him stand out was an eye patch, as well as two swords sheathed on his back, the handles visible over his shoulders.

Roman hummed as he tapped his foot for a moment in thought. "Mmm. I see. And what will happen if I don't?"

The leader shrugged. "We'll cause you some trouble too." He nodded his head towards me. "I doubt he's all that important to you, so why don't you make this much easier and let us have him?"

Roman frowned, taking a puff off his cigar, blowing it out slowly as he thought. "You know, Gary, you don't mind that I call you that, right? Good. You're right. He's not that important to me." I felt my breath catch as I stared at Roman. _The fuck?!_

Roman eyed his half-smoked cigar, tossing it to the ground. "Though, he is one of mine. He might not be important, but you look after your own." He said, bringing his foot down to crush his burnt cigar. "And I'll be damned before you idiots walk away with him."

I let out the breath I had been holding, though still found myself rapidly looking between each of the groups of goons that surrounded us. I drew Crocea Mors and deployed my shield, falling into a ready stance.

Their leader sighed and shook his head. "Well, looks like we're doing this the hard way then." He grumbled as he, in an incredibly over the top and flashy manor, drew his swords off his back. Complete with needless flaunting of his dexterity with his swords, letting the steel glint in the moonlight.

Roman was still leaning on his cane slightly, a smile on his lips as he looked completely unconcerned with what was facing us down. "Oh, an interpretive dance to show dominance, how cute." Roman taunted.

He growled lowly as he glared at Roman. "Well? Are you idiots just going to sta- "

He was cut off as I had since broken into a charge at one of the nearest packs of goons and made contact. Of the three, the one in the middle was caught most off guard as my shield slammed into his face, sending him stumbling down onto the concrete.

"Get them you morons!" I heard the leader call out.

I didn't let up, turning with practiced speed and slashing down with my sword at the goon on my left. He managed to parry the blow, though quickly retreated. The goon on my right tried to take advantage of my exposed flank with a stab; he quickly acquainted his jaw with my elbow. I grit my teeth and brought the pommel of my sword down onto the side of his head, sending him down to the concrete too.

The goon who wasn't downed yet shifted nervously on his feet as he eyed me. I closed the distance between us as fast as I could, aiming to slam my shield into his face, though he managed to dodge that. I followed up with a slash at his chest which he parried once again. I stepped in closer to his guard and slammed my heel down on his toes.

He was stunned for a moment, and I took the opportunity I had, bringing a knee up into his crotch, doubling the man over. I brought the pommel of Crocea Mors down against the back of his head, sending him to the ground in a heap like his friends.

Several bullets whistled past me and slammed into the wall in front of me. I spun quickly to see a group of goons who had taken up cover behind a dumpster firing out at me. I glanced over and saw Roman engaged in a battle with their leader and a few other goons who had gone after him.

My attention flitted to another group of goons wielding melee weapons as they charged me.

Another hail of bullets got me moving as I retreated back towards the alleyway that my first group of goons had come out of. _Better in here, they can only come at me one at a time without any real fire support._

After I ran about halfway down the alley, I turned and brought my shield up as I peeked over the top. The group of goons had come charging down the alley after me without a second thought.

I couldn't help the small grin.

The first goon brought his axe down in an overhead strike. Why he thought that'd work well when I have a shield, I don't know. I caught the blade with my shield, diverting the blow off to my left. With his guard completely nonexistent, I brought the pommel of Crocea Mors around again and slammed it into his temple. He collapsed like his friends had.

The next goon was shortly behind him, this one with a club in hand.

This time, I charged.

The goon didn't know what to do as he brought his club up to try and guard himself from the impending shield slam to his face. My shield hit the club and knocked it out of the goon's hand, clattering down onto the concrete. He quickly started scrambling backwards in an attempt to get away from me.

I brought Crocea Mors down in a slash at his back once he had turned to try and run. The blade ripped through his goon suit and tore into his back like it was nothing, sending him down to the concrete like his buddies before him. Blood started to seep from the wound on his back as I slammed a foot down against his ankle, causing him to cry out in pain as I did my best to break it.

_Blood everywhere._ His face flashed into my mind, though I bit down and shoved the image away. I couldn't afford to have that distracting me. Not now.

The next goon in line was a lot more cautious than the other two had been. His stance was completely defensive, and he was nervous. That much was obvious to me just by looking at him. His hands visibly shook as he held his sword.

I was breathing hard yet again, while I could normally do this sort of thing and be fine for a while, after a sparring session with Roman or Neo? My stamina was shot, and my muscles heavy.

I rolled my shoulders back as I fell into a ready stance yet again. I let a breath out through my nose as I broke into a charge again.

Tried and true, I went for a shield slam into his guard, hoping that this put him off enough that he couldn't effectively fight back against my assault.

My shield met his sword, and just like with the others I deflected the blow off to the side as I stepped into his guard and brought Crocea Mors down for a cut at his chest.

This goon managed to dodge back and away from the blow. He then charged at me, still shaking like a leaf. I met his slashing blade with my own, locking us into a battle of strength. Rather than let it drag on, I swept my foot out and pulled his feet out from under him.

He was sent toppling onto his back, losing his sword along the way. _No wonder they need numbers, these guys are useless._ I delivered a hard kick to his crotch, making him howl in pain. He was cowering below me now, and I sighed. "Get up, and I'll make you wish I had killed you."

He nodded frantically, the terror in his eyes clear. I looked back towards the entry to the alleyway, and there were no more goons. Though I could still hear Roman fighting in the street. One of the goons I had sent to the ground in my initial charge was struggling up to his feet.

I charged at him once again and knocked him right back to the concrete below him. He struggled, grabbing my ankle to try to pull my feet out from under me. He wasn't nearly strong enough, though he did unbalance me slightly.

I growled lowly at that and brought my free foot around to slam into his gut. That was when I felt him rip my other foot out from under me, sending me to the ground as well. _Son of a bitch._

He was quick, more so than I'd have thought, as he pulled himself up to his feet. I groaned and rolled off to one side, pulling myself up onto one knee as I eyed my opponent. He made a charge at me, though it was slow and lumbering.

I managed to dodge out of the way, more or less by throwing myself into the street. I struggled up to my feet yet again and fell into a defensive stance, all of my muscles screaming in pain and exhaustion.

I grit my teeth and pushed through it. I glanced over and saw that Roman had dealt with the goons that had been after him, and was currently engaged with their leader still. Roman had him on the defensive from what I could tell, constantly pushing him back and forcing him to cede ground to Roman if he didn't want to take a punishing blow.

I turned my gaze back to my opponent who was glaring at me, his sword in hand.

I decided that it's best to put him on the defensive again, make it harder for him to push my already weakened and exhausted defense.

I charged once again, going for the ever tried and true shield slam. This time, he was ready and dodged out of the way. I grunted and turned to face him, catching his blow just barely with my shield. I pushed his blade off to the side and made a low swipe towards his waist.

He tried to dodge out of the way, though he wasn't nearly fast enough and his leg was caught by the arc of Crocea Mors, opening a wide gash where it had hit. The goon grit his teeth, though didn't let up. He tried for a slash at my torso, though I met his blade with mine to parry his attempt. I lashed out in return, aiming to hit his gut.

_None of them have Aura._ I came to realize as I cut a new swathe through my opponent.

Not giving him time to react, I pushed forward and slammed my shield into his face, sending him to the ground once more. I walked over and kicked his weapon out of reach.

The goon was bleeding heavily from his stomach and his leg, though likely wasn't getting up anytime soon.

_Blood. Blood everywhere._ I felt like I was going to vomit. I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath, trying to push that image into the back of my mind again. The fight wasn't over yet.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the battlefield. Roman was being left alone to handle the leader of this little ambush, which he was doing relatively handily. The other goons who had been present all were either dead, unconscious, or had fled the battle.

Nearby, too much so for my taste, I could hear sirens approaching.

"Roman, we've got incoming." I called out, sheathing Crocea Mors and glancing back over my shoulder.

Roman didn't respond, though he rather quickly lashed out, faster than his previous attacks had been, and dealt a heavy blow to their leader, sending him to the ground as well. Without even missing a beat, Roman pointed the gun end of his cane at the leader's right knee and shot, shattering his Aura.

I approached, eyeing Roman as the sirens grew concerningly close.

"What do you think, kid? We let him walk?" Roman asked.

I frowned and shook my head. "We want him. He's one of Area 37's boys, I'll bet Junior would take him as a nice gift. Might earn you a favor in return, Roman."

Roman grinned at that. "Now isn't that just convenient."

He brought his cane down into a heavy hit against the side of their leader's head, knocking him out.

"I'm thinking we've got to go. Now." I said, urgency in my voice.

Roman nodded, leaning down and grabbing him by the ankles. I saw what the intent was quickly and knelt down to wrap my arms under his armpits.

We hefted him up and made a quick retreat into the dark alleyways of Vale, just narrowly avoiding the VPD who arrived on the scene not but a minute after we'd vanished.

[-/-]

It didn't take Roman and I all that long to cart the unconscious goon across town to Junior's doorstep. Despite the relatively short nature of the walk, I was exhausted. My legs felt like they were going to give out, with my arms not too far behind.

Junior had a couple of his goons take our captive into the back to be secured. Roman had made himself scarce real quick, leaving me alone at Junior's bar yet again. _This definitely seems to be a recurring theme._ I thought humorlessly to myself as I sat on the floor with my back pressed to the wall.

I'd have gone for a booth if it didn't mean getting up and walking across the Club to find one that was open. No, I was fine on the floor as long as I wasn't made to get up soon.

Junior came around after a few minutes, eyeing me leaned against the wall. "You look like shit, kid."

I chuckled and shrugged at him. "What can I say? Roman's a hard ass."

Junior rolled his eyes. "You gonna sit there all night and waste both our time, or are you gonna get up and tell me what happened?"

I frowned. "Why can't I sit here and tell you what happened?"

"Just get up."

I groaned and pushed myself to my feet once again. I followed Junior to his office, rather quickly slumping down into one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Junior walked behind his desk and sat down, reaching into one of the cabinets that came attached to it, producing two glasses and a bottle of rum. "Now, tell me what happened." He said, sliding a filled glass to me.

I shrugged and took a sip of the drink. It wasn't half bad. "Not much to tell, really." I said as I took a longer drink, nodding appreciatively. It burnt and still provided a nice warm feeling. I was content.

"Roman and I had been training earlier, and by training, I mean he was beating me senseless until I figured out what he wanted me to do." I shrugged. "After that, we were headed back to the apartment. Roman knew we were being followed, and I'd say about a dozen, maybe a few more, of these Area 37 goons emerged. They wanted me, captive or dead I don't know."

Junior took a drink, nodding. "So, they sent a hit squad after you. Interesting." He frowned for a moment then. "And the guy you brought in. Just another goon you knocked out?"

I shook my head. "Nah, he was the leader of their group. Had Aura, decent weapons, and enough training to hold a bored Roman off."

Junior chuckled and nodded. "Right. Guess I do owe the pair of you a favor then."

I had finished my first glass of rum and was reaching for the bottle, though Junior snatched it away from me. "Not happening, kid. This is mine, and it's going to stay that way."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh, come on, Junior. Sharing is caring. What's a bottle of rum between friends?"

Junior arched a brow. "Since when were we friends?" He asked with a bemused smile.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe since you're always the one to find me when shit has gone down and I need someone to talk to? Not to mention you generally bring me booze. Seems like a friend to me."

Junior chuckled and shook his head. "Whatever you say, kid."

"Any chance you're in a more sharing mood with that rum?" I asked hopefully.

"Not even slightly."

I pouted. I knew it was probably far more amusing than effective considering how old I was, that I looked like I did; exhausted, grimy, blood splattered on my clothes.

Junior chuckled and shook his head. "You're not a cute girl, Jaune. That's never going to work."

I sighed and dropped it. "It did on my sisters…" I grumbled.

"Do I look like one of your sisters to you?"

"Mmmm. Give me a bottle of whiskey and come back later and I'll have an answer for that question."

He shook his head. "Real laugh riot, kid. If you want something to drink, there's a plenty good bar out there."

I groaned and sunk more into my seat. "See, that involves getting up and walking. That sounds painful, so I'll pass."

"Don't be a bitch about it. Now get out of my office." Junior said with his arms crossed over his chest.

I grumbled as I got to my feet once again and shuffled out of the office. In reality, Junior was right. I was being a wuss and complaining more than it warranted, but it was worth a shot.

I made my way over to the bar, which was completely unmanned, and sat down on one of the stools.

I knew that I'd not be getting any drinks served to me, nor did I particularly care at that moment. I crossed my arms on the bar top and rested my head on them. It would've been better with a booth, but this would do just as well.

I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh, doing my best to relax as I started to sort out my thoughts.

_Blood. Acceptance. I killed him._

I felt the urge to vomit as I could vividly recall that scene in my mind, though I swallowed it down and took a deep breath.

_I did what I had to. Its kill or be killed. He wouldn't have thought twice._

I let out the deep breath I had been holding. It was shaky, uneven.

_I shattered his Aura. I put a hole in his head. He accepted his death._

I clenched my teeth and took another deep breath, letting it out slowly, though it still came as shaky and broken. I forced the scene down, not willing to dwell on it more.

I opened my eyes and looked down at myself. I looked awful; Junior wasn't lying. The clothes were fine for the most part, just grimy after having been through a whole sparring session with Roman and then a fight with a load of goons.

What stuck out to me the most though was the blood that was drying on my pants.

The urge to vomit increased tenfold, and I just barely managed to hold it down. _I didn't kill anyone. Just wounded. I didn't kill them._

I sat up and eyed the wall of liquor just behind the bar. "He said there's a perfectly fine bar out here…" I muttered to myself as I got up and wandered behind the bar. I found a bottle of whiskey that looked mostly full and returned to one of the bar stools. Nobody even batted an eye at me.

I took a long swig from the bottle. I doubted that Junior was going to get this back ever, so what did it matter if I drank straight out of the bottle? It really didn't, other than how people saw me, but all the people around were goons, most of whom I don't even know.

It felt good as the liquid burned my throat and came to settle in my stomach. The warmth was comforting.

"Well, somebody's going at it hard." The voice of Roman said from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at him and arched a brow.

Roman took a stool next to me and leaned against the bar. "And here I didn't have you flagged for a heavy drinker. Who would've thought?"

I shrugged a shoulder and took another swig from the bottle. Roman was eyeing me curiously, the look he had caught somewhere between surprised and concerned. He produced a cigar and proceeded to light it up.

"Something's chewing at you, kid." Roman said off handedly as he took a puff off his cigar, turning so he was leaned with his back against the bar.

"And if something is?" I asked with an arched brow, eyeing the master criminal carefully.

"And nothing. It was more a statement of fact; something I noticed." He said, not even bothering to look at me. "Last night, you reeked of booze, the offending bottle tossed aside in your room. Your clothes were torn and covered in blood which clearly wasn't yours."

Roman took another puff of his cigar, blowing the smoke out slowly. "Now, you can tell me how that all happened, or I can start putting pieces together myself."

I took another swig out of the bottle and sighed. "What makes you think you'll get it right?"

Roman chuckled. "Jaune, I'll let you in on a little-known secret. I'm not blind, nor am I stupid. I'll have the whole picture one way or the other."

I nodded. "Fine, I'll tell you."

Roman smiled. "Good, we get to do this the easy way."

"Well, earlier today I told you about that whole defending a supply depot for Junior, right?" Roman nodded in agreement as I took a drink from the bottle. "So, that's not quite everything. Junior said that it'd be likely that we see a lieutenant there. Our objective, other than defending the supplies, was to capture or kill that lieutenant."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, we found him. I lead a group of Junior's goons to where he was. A fight broke out." I paused to take another swig from my bottle. "The exact details aren't important, but I killed him. Shattered his Aura and bashed his skull in."

Roman nodded, taking a puff off his cigar once more.

"I doubt I have to tell you where I got the booze. Junior gave it to me, I guess to help take the edge off." I said with a shrug, eyeing the bottle that I had made a dent in. "Guess that's probably a lot of what I'm doing now too."

Roman took his cigar out of his mouth and frowned as he leaned back on the bar, surveying the goons as they milled about, chatted, did whatever they did. I did notice that his smile wasn't present as he watched the club idly.

"Nothing to say?" I asked quietly, not all too sure how to read Roman's reaction.

Roman laughed mirthlessly. "Something you want me to say?"

I frowned as I looked back to the bottle I was drinking from, setting it down on the counter as I stared at the wall of booze. "Honestly? Fuck if I know, Roman. His face, I keep seeing it. The hole in his head, blood framing his features, the lack of fear in his eyes. That's what'll haunt me the most, I think. His eyes. They weren't scared, afraid, nothing. He accepted that was his fate. That I was the last face he'd see before he died."

I looked at my hands. _The hands of a killer. Blood is on these hands. My hands. _"The worst part? I don't even know why that's what haunts me the most. The look in his eyes, like that was an acceptable outcome to him – dying at my hands." I shook my head, closing my eyes I could still see it perfectly.

"It's probably because you're a good kid." Roman said, getting me to turn and look at him. He was still looking out over the club. "You never would've done something like that on your own. You never would've killed if it could've been avoided."

I frowned. _I mean, he's not wrong. Before he found me, I'd wanted to be a hero. I wanted to protect the weak, I wanted to protect those I loved. What changed?_

Roman shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips as he thought to himself. "Hell, you wanted to go to Beacon, the great Huntsman Academy, the supposed Factory of Heroes." He chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Not all Hunters are heroes though. Look at me, graduate, certified Huntsman, and most wanted man in Vale."

Roman paused a moment to take a puff off his cigar. "Regardless, you got turned away. You didn't have the skills, didn't have your Aura. You had a load of nothing but a pair of balls big enough to try anyway. So, you stole a load lien and Crocea Mors, and applied to Beacon. They told you to go to hell." He glanced back at me. "You were lost in a new city. You didn't have your family for fear of what would happen if you went back, and no friends in Vale. You were screwed in every way."

I nodded along. _At this point he's just telling me what I've told him. He's got to have a point, right?_

"I showed up, told you I was a wanted criminal, and offered you a chance. You took it. I offered you stability and an opportunity to become something." Roman paused as he took another puff off his cigar. "I started training you. I introduced you to Junior. I unlocked your Aura. I took you on heists. I changed your perspective."

"See, you didn't kill that guy on your own. Junior, Neo, and I all changed how you view the world. Before, you'd have seen us all as criminals, scum who need to be locked up and dealt with. Now, we're your friends. People you see just about every day. Junior was – is – being threatened by this other gang." Roman explained, taking another long draw off his cigar. "You saw that, and you did what you wanted to. You protected your friends. It just took a form more violent than you ever expected it to."

I frowned as I stared at the bottle of whiskey that was set on the counter before me. _Is he right? Have I changed that much in only a few months?_ I took the whiskey and drank for a moment, relishing as the burn slid down my throat.

"Then why does that scene, that image, haunt me?" I asked vainly, looking to Roman. He'd put this much together, hopefully he could tell me why and what to do about it.

"Why? Because you're a good kid. I said that right at the start if you were listening." Roman retorted with only minor sarcasm. "It haunts you because you never thought that someone would be able to look at you and accept that you had killed them. I was much the same. Never thought that someone would just accept that I was their killer." He shook his head, leaning against the bar again as he surveyed the crowd.

"Does it get easier? Will it go away?"

"Yes, and no. Eventually, it loses that visceral grip it has on you and the image might fade from your memory slightly, but it never leaves. Not completely." Roman said quietly as he took another puff off his cigar.

I took another long drink from my bottle and let out a sigh. I looked at my hands again. _The hands of a killer. Blood on my hands. Blood from another killer._ "At least it gets easier…" I muttered to myself as I shook my head and let my hands drop back to the counter.

I glanced back at Roman who still was missing his trademark smile. "Thanks, Roman."

Roman smiled slightly and nodded. "Not a problem, kid." It wasn't his usual smile, but it was a start.

[-/-]

It was late afternoon in Vale, and people were generally starting to leave work and head home to their mundane lives. In some ways I envied them, not having to worry about the VPD knowing who you are, not having to keep on guard in case someone tried an ambush.

Their life was simple. Wake up, go to work, come home, have dinner, waste a few hours, and go to sleep. Rinse and repeat until they retire, die, or get fired. No real worries, nothing really life threatening. It was peaceful.

I was sat at a café, sipping idly on my first coffee. Ren had said that he wanted to have tea. Though if I had to guess, we could watch paint dry and he'd be happy as long as he had some time away from his team to relax.

The truth of the matter was that I had been early by about fifteen minutes. Not particularly out of eagerness, but out of sheer boredom. It wasn't likely that I'd be doing any training unless either Roman or Neo were feeling particularly cruel, which they weren't. While a decent drink did sound nice, I doubted highly that Junior would just hand over another free bottle of booze. He might be my friend, but he's also got a business to run.

The next best thing was coffee, and so here I am, sipping on coffee and watching civilians make their way home.

Right at the tick of four in the afternoon, I could see the distinct pink highlight in a mop of black hair. He took a little while to push through the crowd, though eventually made his way to the table I was sat at, leaning back in my chair with a bemused smile.

"Jaune, good to see you." Ren said politely.

I nodded back to him. "You too. Happy to be your ticket to a peaceful night as you put it."

Ren only shrugged. "Then I'm sure we both can enjoy this." I arched a brow at that, watching as he disappeared into the café.

He emerged a few minutes later, a tall plastic cup of something that definitely didn't look like tea in hand.

"Doesn't look much like tea to me." I commented.

Ren took a seat before answering. "It's called Boba Tea. Its rather good, if you'd like to try some?"

I shook my head. "Nah, just not completely sure that's tea at all. Looks more like coffee or something to me, but to each their own."

Ren shrugged and took a drink of his 'tea'. _I refuse to believe that is tea._

I turned my gaze back to the crowds as they walked past, idly looking over each of the heads as I looked for something out of the ordinary.

I didn't see anything special.

"I hear you work private security for local Dust shops. I'd imagine that Torchwick's heist spree makes your life difficult." Ren commented, trying to make some light conversation.

I shrugged as I looked back to him. "Yeah, I'm private security. Torchwick's spree all over the city has us running ragged trying to keep up with contracts." I hummed quietly as I took a sip of coffee. "As it is, the job isn't nearly as safe as it used to be. People have started quitting left and right. Higherups have offered a decent hazard pay for those of us who stick around." I explained, pulling this crap from thin air. It sounded believable. Right?

Ren frowned. "If it's getting more dangerous, your company should consider hiring on a few Huntsmen as consultants and back up, should it be needed."

I shrugged. "You might be right, but I'm just a grunt. Higherups don't want to hear what I've got to say."

He shrugged and took a drink of his tea. "Maybe not, but a good idea doesn't go ignored."

I hummed as I looked back over the crowd, eyeing the people as they passed. Still on the look out for something or someone out of place.

Still, I didn't see anything special.

"You said that I'm your ticket to a more peaceful night. Take it your team drives you off the wall?" I asked as I leaned farther back in my chair.

Ren nodded. "Yes. While I am their leader, Nora and Yang both can be overwhelming to deal with on their own, not to mention put together."

I frowned slightly. "Wasn't that last girl, Pyrrha I think, part of your team too?"

Ren nodded once more. "She is, though is incredibly reserved and guarded. She refuses to let even her partner in, which can make things difficult."

I took a sip of coffee as I thought about it. "So, let me get this straight. We've got you, a warm-blooded male, living in confined quarters with three damn attractive women, and you're complaining?"

He nodded once.

I shook my head. "I fail to see the problem."

"The problem is not that they are all female. The problem is that working with them, living with, and dealing with all of their personalities at once is more challenging than I thought."

I arched a brow. "More challenging than you thought?"

Ren shrugged. "Yang, as I'm sure you're aware, has an explosive temper. She's also got almost no self-control, and nearly no care in the world for what damage her actions do." He paused a moment. "Pyrrha is distant. She quietly follows along, though doesn't engage. She agrees to just about anything we propose." He sighed. "And then there's Nora. She's loud, energetic, chaotic, unpredictable. I could go on. The issue is when she and Yang get going with just about anything, a bet, a game, a discussion, a fight, or whatever else, there is no end to the escalation."

I frowned as I thought on his predicament. "And because Pyrrha is so distant and closed off, she won't help you reign them in and keep them manageable?"

Ren nodded. "That about covers it, yes."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Sounds like one hell of a ride."

Ren sighed. "You have no idea."

Once again, I let my eyes drift back to the crowd, looking for something that was out of the ordinary.

And once again – Wait a minute.

Tall, clearly female, long blonde hair. Walking next to her, shorter, female, orange hair. _Oh dear._

I glanced back to Ren. "Hey, buddy, don't mean to scare you, but we've got incoming."

Ren calmly set down his tea and nodded to me. "How many and from where?"

"Two, and walking down the street towards us right now."

"You're sure they're after you?"

I arched a brow as I looked at him. "Better come here and guess for yourself."

Ren got up and looked over the balcony like I was, easily spotting Yang and Nora. He quickly ducked back out of view. "Not quite the incoming I was thinking of."

I shrugged. "No, I think this is far worse for both of us."

Ren nodded. "I'm inclined to agree with you."

I glanced back over the balcony, and saw the duo enter the café below us.

"Well, we're trapped now. They just came inside."

Ren nodded once more. "Got any ideas?"

I shook my head. "Nope. You know them better than I do, so I'm gonna put you in charge here."

Ren nodded, looking around for an easy escape route. I'm sure the only one he'd find would have us launching ourselves into traffic. An option, but not a good one, mind you.

I looked back at the door behind Ren which was wide open. I saw the distinctive blonde hair climbing the stairs.

"It's now or never, Ren. Either you have a plan, or we jump into traffic." I urged, watching the blonde come more into view.

Ren hesitated for a moment.

That was our doom.

Yang glanced over in our direction and a grin grew on her lips as she came to approach us, Nora nowhere to be seen.

She sidled up next to Ren and slung an arm around his shoulder and started to lean on him, the widest, most shit eating grin I've ever seen, plastered on her lips. "Well, well, well, Ren. I never would've thought you of all people would ditch us for a date. And a date with Jauney-Boy here to boot."

_I wonder if traffic is still an option. I mean, it'd hurt like hell, but I have enough Aura to be fine._

Ren looked to Yang and arched a brow at her. "It's not what it looks like." He said in the most deadpan tone of voice I've heard yet.

"Oh really? And then what is it? Definitely looks like you ditched your team to go out on a date with tall, blonde, and stupid over here." Yang pressed, her grin threatening to split her face in two.

"Hey, if you two want to have a date, I'll step out." I said with a smile, earning a glare from Yang, and a silent 'Please don't do this to me, Jaune' from Ren.

"Wanna try that one again, Jauney-Boy?"

I shrugged. "What, described yourself to a tee as best I can tell." _Yep, definitely thinking traffic is my best bet._

Yang pulled her arm from around Ren's shoulders and stepped towards me in a bid to look intimidating. "If you like your innards where they are, you'll rephrase what you said."

I shrugged. "If that's what it takes to get through your thick skull." I paused for half a moment, glancing at Ren who was practically screaming 'Please stop before you make it worse.' "See, you're tall, for a girl at least. You're blonde, very blonde. And stupid just kinda comes with it; the blonder you are, the worse it gets."

Yang growled, her eyes flashing red. I glanced to Ren again, meeting his gaze and then shooting my eyes towards the door in an attempt to help him get out. Ren nodded and quietly ducked away.

I grinned at Yang as I started backing up towards the railing. "Oh, did I strike a nerve? Or are you always this easy to anger?"

Yang didn't say anything and threw a punch for my jaw. Lucky for me and my jaw, I dodged off to one side. "Well, now that's attempted assault. Care to make it worse?" I taunted. _Is this really the smartest idea? I mean, I'm pretty sure once she lands one good hit, I'm done for._

Not but a moment later, I saw Nora walk in, happily dragging Ren behind her. Ren did not look all too pleased. _Well, so much for one of us getting out of this unscathed._

"Ohhhh, Ren, look! It's Jaune!" Nora called out happily as she waved at me.

Ren nodded. "I see him."

Yang shouted as she charged recklessly at me, and once again, I dodged out of the way. "Yang, listen. Can't we talk this out like adults?"

"Nope."

"Oh, son of a bitch." I said as I moved to put some space between me and Yang, as well as a few tables. That should slow her down a little. Right?

Wrong.

"Hey, Ren, Nora? A little help?" I called out as I just barely managed to avoid another flurry of blows. She was faster than I gave her credit for.

Ren broke out of Nora's grasp and ran at Yang, only resting a hand on her shoulder. "Yang, enough."

The blonde's eyes stopped glowing red almost instantly, and she lowered her fists.

"That's… Damn impressive, Ren." I said as I eyed the effects of his words.

Ren let his hand drop from Yang's shoulder and sighed, shaking his head. "My semblance. Lets me mask someone's negative emotions, quelling them in the process."

Nora bounced as she joined her two teammates. "Yep! Renny here has, like, one of the best semblances ever. Other than mine, of course. Mine is super badass, I get all powerful and go boom, bang, smash. It's great."

I blinked, looking to Ren. "She gets supercharged by lightning of any nature to empower her attacks." He explained helpfully.

"That's… Oddly specific." I commented.

Yang who had calmed down from wanting to beat me to a pulp was standing with crossed arms as she glared at me.

I sighed and turned to meet her gaze. "Listen, I'm sorry. Shouldn't have pushed so hard to get you to react."

Yang narrowed her eyes at me. "It's a start, at least."

I shrugged. "A start is better than nothing at all." I looked back to Ren and Nora for a moment before taking a seat back at my table that had, miraculously, not been knocked over in the brief fight. "So, ladies, what's brought you out here?"

"We were looking for our Fearless Leader, of course! He just vanished from Beacon, and we got worried so we tracked his scroll." I side eyed Ren who rose his hands in mock surrender.

"I see. I'm also noting that you're missing the other girl… Pyrrha, right?"

Yang snorted. "Not like you're missing much."

"Yang, be nice." Ren chided her.

"What?! She hardly ever talks, and only does homework and train. She's my partner for god sake, and I don't know a damn thing about her other than she's Pyrrha Nikos, the invincible girl." Yang complained, crossing her arms under her bust.

"She is still your partner. You shouldn't talk bad about her behind her back." Ren retorted.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Some partner who won't even talk to me."

I frowned as I listened to Yang complain. Some more of the issues were starting to click together in my head.

"So, Jauney-Boy, what's up? How're you doing? How's work? How's Ruby? How's life?" Nora rattled off in rapid fire, making me blink a few times as I processed her questions.

"What's up? I don't know, heard of this thing called the sky? It's big and blue, and filled with clouds sometimes." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. _God, I am an asshole, aren't I? At least I'm self-aware._

Yang snorted at my comment, though kept quiet. Ren showed no reaction.

Nora didn't even miss a beat. "Not the sky, silly, but with you! What's up with you? How've you been, what're you doing, that sorta deal."

I chuckled and shrugged. "Not much is up with me at all. I'm exhausted and sore, mostly. Truth is that work has me going almost constantly. Doesn't leave much time for recreation or anything of the sort." I said with a shrug.

Nora hummed as her frozen coffee was brought out to her. Which Ren stole, eyeing her carefully. "Did you order it decaff?"

Nora thought for a moment. "Yes?" She asked more than said. Ren shook his head. "I am going to go get you something that won't have you level three city blocks." Nora pouted though didn't argue as Ren walked off with her coffee in hand.

Nora looked back to me. "So, you spend, like, all your time working. But how is that? What do you do?"

I shrugged a shoulder and stuck with my story. "I'm private security. We're mostly working with Dust shops currently, though we've been hired onto weapons shops as well as others around Vale. As far as how it is, it's work. I don't particularly love it, but it's not awful. Decent people, good benefits. Real odd hours, though."

Ren returned a few minutes later with Nora's decaff frozen coffee in hand. Nora didn't care and dug into the frozen abomination of coffee and ice.

Yang leaned back in her chair, content with nothing to drink for the moment as she eyed me. "The question I'm most interested in is how's Ruby."

I arched a brow at Yang. "Listen, I don't know what you think is going on, but it's nothing abnormal. She's a friend. And if you want to know how she is, just call and ask her yourself. I'm not short enough, nor do I have those damn silver eyes that have puppy dog eyes powerful enough to turn Grimm into forces for good."

Yang snickered. "Oh, she brought that out on you? How'd that go for you?"

I smiled slightly. "I held out, only just barely though."

Yang nodded appreciatively. "I'll give you some props there then. What'd she want?"

I shrugged. "She wanted to pay half the check for where we went for breakfast that morning."

Yang narrowed her eyes once more.

"Oh, Jaune, that sounds like a date!" Nora called from her seat.

I blinked. _Huh. I guess it does._ "Well, it wasn't. Just a couple friends wasting time."

"You said you two had breakfast. You spent the whole day together?" Yang asked, making it clear that I should tread carefully here.

"We did. Spent most the day ambling about Vale aimlessly as she showed me some of the more interesting parts of town. Decent places to stop and grab food, good theaters, that sorta deal." I frowned for a moment. "Oh, and she also drew up a few designs to upgrade my sword."

Yang relaxed, shaking her head. "My threat still stands, Jaune. You touch her, I break you."

I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Point taken."

Conversation died off as I found my gaze once again drifting over the crowd of people below. Some time had passed, and the crowds were thinner than they were before. That made keeping an eye on people easier for me, so I wasn't complaining.

"You know, Nora, Ren here ditched us so he could come have a date with blonde and boring over there." Yang said, her grin spreading on her lips.

_Oh dear. This is probably about to be bad._ I braced for impact.

"Really?!" Nora shouted out, looking between Yang and then Ren.

Ren didn't say anything, he just kept looking at his now empty cup longingly.

"Oh my god, Ren! I'm so happy for you! All these years, and I didn't even know you were gay. How could you keep that a secret from me?" Nora babbled out in quick fashion.

Ren shrugged a shoulder. "Never came up."

I blinked.

Yang blinked.

Nora didn't miss a beat. "But still! You should've told me, I thought there were no secrets between us."

I looked to Yang, not at all sure how to respond or react. She was no help, a similar expression to mine as she met my gaze.

_That's… Actually, I can't say that's surprising looking at him. Huh. The more you know, I guess._ I frowned for a moment as I thought to myself. _And that somewhat explains his eagerness as well… Oh god, Yang was right. This was a date._

I now had absolutely no idea how to act, what to do. Nothing at all. No smart-ass comments, nothing quickly on hand to goad Yang into something. I had no content, and I was boned. Figuratively speaking, Ren's not that flexible. Or he shouldn't be.

I felt my scroll buzz in my pocket, so I dug it out, and it was a message from Neo. I glanced at the time and it was well past six in the evening. _Time to make my gracious escape._

I finished my coffee and got to my feet, stretching.

"Where you going, Jauney-Boy?" Nora asked from her seat.

I rolled my shoulders back. "I am going to go home, shower, and get ready for work."

Yang nodded, not glaring at me for once. I considered that a miracle in of itself. "Cya."

Ren got to his feet and glanced from the girls to me. "We should do this again sometime."

_I have no idea if the answer is yes or not. Damnit._

I nodded. "Sure, sounds like fun."

The smile that crossed his lips was genuine. "I look forward to it."

I smiled in return, feeling far more awkward than I should and turned to leave.

As I made my way towards the front door of the café, someone tapped my shoulder.

I looked back and saw Nora standing there, her general wide smile gone. "Something the matter?" I asked cautiously.

"Just like Yang. You break his heart, and I will break every bone in your body. Twice." Nora threatened in a far too serious to be Nora manner.

I coughed awkwardly and nodded. "Got it."

She rather quickly shifted back to being her normal bubbly self. "Now that we've cleared that up, I'll see you around, Jauney-Boy." She said offering a wave as I turned and left the café.

I walked down the street, fading quickly into the crowd as I walked back towards the apartment.

_This has been… An interesting afternoon to say the least. I had a date with Ren, completely on accident. I managed a miracle, and now Yang won't castrate me with a rusty spoon for breathing near Ruby. And then there's Nora._

_I don't even know where to start with Nora._

I took out my scroll and went to messaging to see what Neo wanted.

_Neo: I'm hungry, and you owe me dinner._

I sighed. _I do owe her dinner. Damnit._

_Jaune: Alright, I'm headed back to the apartment._

_Neo: Okay_

* * *

**Whew. That was. That was a lot of words. My way of making up for the short chapter on Monday seeing as my Muse decided 'Nah, we're not writing a one-shot. It's Criminally Good or nothing.'**

**So, here we are. I definitely feel like pacing might be a bit off, but I did like starting the chapter with combat, and ending it with... I don't think I can classify that last scene as fluff, or can I? I mean, I have no idea. It's 4 AM, no, wait, almost 5 AM at the time of writing this AN. Why? I dunno, the magic of insomnia and boredom, I guess. Don't judge me.**

**Oh, we also have a new contender in the shipping ring. The dark horse Ren. Why? Because when I first watched RWBY, I 100% thought Ren was gay. Even though it's been sorta confirmed ReNora in canon in Season 4, I don't care. I've think it'd be amusing to see how Jaune deals with that situation. He's used to finding girls attractive, but what happens when a gay Ren pursues him? Well, who knows. It'll be an interesting ride. Maybe. Hopefully.**

**On to my wonderful reviews from last chapter. Woo!**

**Engineer - Junior did his best, he really did. Big man has a huge soft spot for Jaune even if he'll never admit it. As far as Neo, her reaction, or lack thereof, was because she just doesn't understand. She gets that it's screwing with him, but she doesn't get why, and can't really do anything to help other than be there. As for his past, I'm going to be keeping the memory / dream bits every few chapters, where they make sense really. As far as Jaune spending time with Ren... *Awkward coughing* Yeah, it might help. It also might get really awkward and confusing really fast. Oops. Sorry, not sorry. And you kinda, sorta, maybe, just a little bit, definitely helped me sign away Weiss and Blake to members of CRDL. Better than the kinda crap throwaway OCs I had planned for their spots.**

**Rexmagum - Not an extra chapter, but a longer one. Hope that does just as well.**

**Cloud Link Zero - See, when I was outlining this story, this was the start of Jaune showing a lot of changes he had picked up. It really screwed with him, and still did in the writing. The question is how well is he going to cope with it likely becoming more and more common in his life. Ruby in a blood red cloak. Magic 8 Ball says... Better not tell you now. It'll show up in due time.**

**Chaos-Wolfy - *Takes a bow* Glad you liked. Here's some more.**

**X3 - Wrong implications. That they were right about. Oops. As far as weapons, I looked at it, and Jaune isn't that heavy of a hitter. He's a tank. Usually. As far as Neo goes, she knew **_something_** was wrong. She just didn't know what. She also (probably) didn't know what else to do other than what she's seen on TV. So contact is comforting. As far as Neo being attached to him, it's obvious, but she'd definitely cut your tongue out and shove it up your rectum if you said it to her.**

**Qwertynus - *slow clapping* Look at him, boys. We've got a genuine comedian here. (Thanks for the review man)**

**WildlyLaughing - I am glad you are liking it so far, hopefully you stick around for the long haul. This story is gonna be like... 30+ chapters long if my outline is to be believed. Answer: Raven will probably show up at some point, though her tribe likely won't.**

**Specter - Right you are, and who knows, the designs aren't final. Jaune will let Ruby do basically whatever she wants, so long as he still has a sword and shield. As for the character build, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I went back and reread it a few days ago, and I'm surprised it all makes sense, in my head at least(then again, gay Ren makes sense in my head so who knows). I continued that a little here, gave Roman a bit of spotlight. For being involved in the summary and a main character, he doesn't get a lot of screen time. Rather, he hasn't had much yet. Soon™, Roman. Soon™.**

**ShadowIke - You're right, she is a trained assassin who kills for fun. Despite that, she does have attachments to people. Those being Roman and now Jaune. She might be psychotic, but she can still empathize with her friends. The issue she had was that she didn't know how to help Jaune, and said sorry because of it. Like I said above somewhere, she didn't get it. Otherwise, I'm glad you enjoyed, and hope that my little explanation there did enough to show what I was thinking at the time.**

**And that is all of my reviews, nice.**

**I'm glad you guys liked that previous chapter. It was slower, and kinda tough on me to write because I kept rereading it going "Is it too much? Too little? I don't even know anymore, I've changed it two dozen times." And around and around in circles I went editing that chapter until I decided "Screw it, I can't tell if it's good anymore, so I'm going to send it and find out later." Low and behold, it was well received by you guys, and I'm glad.**

**Also, I know I've said this before, but holy hell, guys. 220 favorites and 335 follows on my first story in just under a month. You all are fantastic, and I love seeing all the support that this story gets. Hell, we're on the first page of all the crime stories written for RWBY. Seriously, you all are great, and I thank you all for the support that you've given this story.**

**If you haven't yet, be sure to drop a follow and favorite to know when I update and to support me and my will to write often enough to keep up with deadlines I set for stories.**

**If you're feeling particularly kind, you can drop me a review too. I love reading what you all have to say, and it makes my day to see a new one pop up. Even if it's just a comment to say you enjoyed the chapter or encouragement to keep writing, it makes my day. Also, if you have questions, or just want to talk, shoot me a PM. I'll get back to you when I see it, I promise.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, April 29th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	10. Chapter 10

**It's a Monday afternoon, and that means the next chapter of Criminally Good is here.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 10]

I really need to watch what I say.

Its not even that I hate the idea of going out for dinner with the psychotic assassin, at least not completely. Sure, she's liable to cut my fingers off and use them as stocking stuffers if I piss her off, but she's not all bad. At least my safety is guaranteed, right?

As I entered the apartment, Neo was laid on the couch as was her seemingly default position whenever she wasn't doing anything important. She glanced up at me and offered a small wave in greetings.

"Hey, Neo." I said as I walked past, towards my room. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower and we can head out." I called over my shoulder.

Neo didn't respond. Or, I didn't get anything thrown at me, nor a text so I assume she heard and understood me.

I emerged from the shower a few minutes later, feeling a bit more refreshed. I looked over the main room, and Neo was still in her spot fiddling away on her scroll.

"Well?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "You ready to go?"

Neo looked up and nodded, pocketing her scroll once more. She hopped up to her feet and made her way to the door, glancing back at me expectantly.

I shrugged and followed her out.

She led me through the streets of Vale expertly, ducking into alleys and through the twists of the only vaguely familiar streets that we called home. Some of which I recognized, but not all of them.

Neo and I had been walking for about twenty minutes before we found our destination. I'll be honest here; this wasn't what I had expected.

We were stood in front of a waterside bistro. It was relatively quiet as well, only a few other patrons eating their dinner as they all either stared off over the ocean, or chatted with their dates.

Neo looked back at me expectantly once again and then nodded towards the front desk. I sighed and walked on up.

"Table for two, please. Outside, preferably." I said, rocking back on my heels slightly.

The man stood behind the desk nodded and lead us out onto the deck that they had built over the water. It was nice, cool sea breeze drifted across the open-air seating as Neo and I took our seats.

The man who had led us here dropped a couple of menus with us and said that a server would be around shortly, leaving us to our own devices.

I took the menu and began flipping through it. "Nice place you picked out, Neo." I said offhandedly as I glanced through the options.

A scroll was slid across to me. _I like it, nice view of the water, decent staff, and good food._

I nodded absentmindedly. "Mhm. Anything here you'd recommend, or is it all good?"

Her scroll was slid across the table again shortly after. _It's all good, but if you want my opinion, I'd say any of their seafood._

I shrugged, closing the menu. "I'll take your word for it."

The waiter came around a few minutes later to take our orders, Neo having to point to what she wanted on the menu out to him. If he was annoyed that she couldn't talk, he didn't let it show.

After he left, I found myself looking out over the water as dusk faded into night. _How do I manage to get myself into these positions? Not but an hour or so ago, I was out with Ren on what was apparently a date. Now I'm here with Neo._ I chuckled and shook my head. _Dad would probably say something about the Arc charm. I'm more inclined to believe it's a curse of bad luck._

Neo slid her scroll to me. _Lien for your thoughts? You're quiet._

I shrugged a shoulder as I looked her over. "Not much to say, just thinking over the past few days is all."

Neo frowned and typed out another message. _What about the past few days is on your mind?_

"Everything, I guess. What all happened to get me here, what I did, what I caused. It's been one hell of a wild ride." I mused, closing my eyes to come face to face with his lifeless, accepting eyes.

I grit my teeth and let out a slow breath. _He's dead. I did what I had to do._

Neo narrowed her eyes at me. _More specifically?_

I arched a brow at her. "What do you mean more specifically?"

Neo shrugged. _What I said, more specifically. 'Everything' is just about as general as it gets._

"Just something one of my friends said is all."

Neo arched a brow. _You have friends? Since when?_

I rolled my eyes at her. "Haha, very funny, Neo. Yes, I have friends other than you and Roman."

Neo snickered. _Junior doesn't count either._

I sighed and shook my head. "No, it's not Junior either."

She paused for a moment. _Alright, but what'd they say? It's got you wrapped up in thought._

I shook my head again, waving a dismissive hand. "Noting major, just something that caught me off guard."

She frowned at me. _Tell me. It's bothering you. Might help to get a second opinion._

I sighed, eyeing her over carefully. "You're not going to give me a choice in this, are you?"

Neo smiled and shook her head.

I groaned and slumped slightly into my seat. "Dunno why I thought otherwise." I muttered to myself. "Well, to make it short, I was out with a friend for coffee earlier today. Real laid-back guy, just wanted some peace and quiet from what he told me."

I paused for a beat. "Turns out, that was a date. His friends showed up about halfway through and crashed the party. Somehow spilled that he's gay, things got awkward, and I left not at all sure what to say or think about that."

Neo furrowed her brows at me as she eyed me over. Her message came a moment later. _Really? That's what's on your mind? And here I thought it was something serious. This is easy to handle, dummy. I've just got a few questions for you. One, do you enjoy his company? Two, are you gay, or bi for that matter?_

I blinked as I read over her message, going slightly red. "I uh, well, I mean yeah? He's a nice enough guy, pleasant to talk to and all that." I trailed off as I thought on the second question. "I don't think I am? I don't know? Is that an acceptable answer?"

To my eye, it looked like after my second answer Neo relaxed ever so slightly back into her seat, but I very well could be imagining things. _If that's the case, then tell him you're not interested. He'll figure it out from there._

I shook my head. Of course, it's that easy, how did I not think of something like that? "Right. You're right, Neo."

She stuck her tongue out at me. _Of course, I am. Don't you know who you're talking to?_

I rolled my eyes. "Someone who spends too much time around Roman."

She rolled her eyes right back. _Pot calling the kettle black._

"At least I'm not nearly as snarky as either of you are."

Neo facepalmed. _Do you listen to yourself?_

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not even a bit." I said with a slightly smile on my lips.

Neo was typing out a response to me as our dinner showed up. A plate of fish that I didn't remember the name of was sat in front of me, while something similar was given to Neo. It looked and smelled good, so the theory is that it should be good, right?

Well, as it turns out, I am not a fan of fish.

That's not to say that it's bad, but it's not really something I like all that well.

Neo, on the other hand, was devouring her dinner like it was the last meal she'd ever have. I still had no idea how a girl so small could eat as much as she does and keep her form. Not that I'd ever ask. I learned from my sisters that you don't ask questions you really don't want the answer to.

Neo eyed me picking at my fish after she had finished hers and arched a brow at me in silent question.

I shrugged a shoulder. "It's not bad." I said, taking another small bite of the food. "Fish just isn't my favorite, I guess."

Neo tilted her head slightly at my comment, and I hummed as I thought. "Never had fish as a kid. No streams nearby to fish from, no lakes, nothing like that. Generally, just ate whatever was put in front of me by mom."

Neo nodded slowly as I explained. I glanced to her. "You want some?" She nodded a few times as I cut off a large chunk of the meat and slid it onto her plate. She smiled and offered a thumbs up.

I chuckled and waved a dismissive hand. "Better that someone who enjoys it has it."

The rest of dinner went on quietly as I found myself drifting off, looking at the water once again. _Eventually it loses that visceral grip, but it never goes away. Not completely._ The voice of Roman echoed in my head. _Its kill or be killed in this line of work._ Junior's voice called quietly. _Blood. Acceptance._

I was shaken from my thoughts as Neo slid her scroll across the table to me. _What's wrong?_ Her message read; the slight concern painted on her features clear.

I smiled weakly and waved her off. "Nothing." _Nothing that will go away, at least._ "I'm fine, really."

Neo narrowed her eyes at me. _You know that you can tell me, right?_

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I'm fine, I promise. Just an unpleasant memory, that's all."

Neo sighed and nodded. _If you say so._

The waiter came around and dropped our cheque off. I took it quickly and dropped the lien cards for it, leaving a generous tip for the man as thanks for being so patient with Neo.

Neo and I left shortly after, Neo leading me out through the city streets of Vale.

"You have anything else planned for the evening, Neo?" I asked, not all too sure where we were going.

Neo stopped and typed out a message. _We're going to a bar. I want something to drink, and I get the feeling you could use it too._

I frowned as I read her message over a couple of times. "Sure, I guess. Works for me."

She led me into a bar that looked about ready to collapse on the spot. The construction was old and wooden, though despite that I found that it was rather warm inside. Welcoming, I suppose. No, a better way to describe it would be homey. Homey was accurate.

There was an old man acting as the barkeep, if I had to guess he was somewhere in his mid-fifties or so. He smiled kindly to the both of us and waved. The bar was empty aside us and the barkeep. Neo led me to a booth against one wall, waving to the barkeep to get his attention.

The man nodded and came out from behind the bar, smiling at the both of us. "What can I get for you two this evening?"

I glanced to Neo who was eyeing over a list of mixed drinks that was at the table. I shrugged and looked back to the man. "Just whiskey for me. I'll buy the bottle." The barkeep rose his brows at my request, though nodded hesitantly.

He looked then to Neo. "And for you, dear?" He asked kindly. Neo glanced up at him and then held out the list, pointing to one of them. He nodded, handing the list back to her. "Of course. They'll be out in a few minutes." He said, dismissing himself from the table.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, running a hand through my hair. _It's a bit longer than I'd usually like. Maybe I should see about getting it cut soon._ I shrugged and looked to Neo who was watching me intently.

I arched a brow at her as I met her gaze. "What's up?"

She shrugged, producing her scroll and typing a message out to me. _Nothing. Just watching. Waiting for my drink to show up._

I frowned at that, though shrugged. If she wanted to watch me, she could. It's not like I could stop her if I wanted to. "Whatever, Neo."

I closed my eyes as I leaned back in the booth, doing my best to relax.

The barkeep returned a few moments later, setting a mixed drink of some unfathomable nature in front of Neo, and then a bottle of whiskey along with a glass in front of me. "Will that be all you two are having?" He asked, looking between us.

I shrugged. "Probably all for me, but I dunno about her."

Neo nodded. The barkeep smiled and wrote out a cheque and laid it on the table. "Just bring it to the bar when you leave." He said, offering a nod to the both of us as he trundled slowly back towards his bar.

I opened the bottle and poured myself a glass. I didn't think twice as I took down half the drink in one gulp, the burn feeling all too good. I sighed contentedly as I leaned back once more.

Neo slid her scroll over to me. _Want to play a game?_

I arched a brow at her. "What are we playing this time?"

She thought as she typed out her answer. _I don't know. We could play more twenty questions, unless you've got a better idea?_

I shrugged a shoulder. "I've got nothing, so question away."

Neo nodded, typing out her question to me. _Alright, so I'm first again. What's wrong? I mean what's actually wrong? Don't just feed me a BS line about your friends._

I sighed as I read the question, finishing off my first glass of whiskey. "Really? That's what you're going to ask?" Neo looked rather unrepentant. I shook my head. "I've already told you what it is."

Neo frowned. _I said not the BS line about your friends._

I glared at her. "Not what I meant."

Her frown remained. _Then what did you mean?_

I sighed and threw my hands up in the air. "You really don't remember? I tell you, and then you just forget like it was nothing?"

Neo blinked as she eyed me.

"How about this, does me accidentally killing someone ring a bell? Bashing his fucking face in with my shield? Does that sound familiar?" I spat out at her, pouring another glass of whiskey for myself.

Neo narrowed her eyes at me. _He would've killed you, Jaune._

"You think I don't know that? You think that I haven't been hearing that exact same damn line from Junior and Roman both? You all say it like it means something, like that makes it okay that I killed him." I let out a shaky breath. "But you know something? It's not. I didn't _have_ to kill him. I _chose_ to kill him. I had beaten him. I broke his Aura. I could've knocked him out, captured him, done anything else."

I paused to take a drink from my glass of whiskey. "But I didn't. I bashed his fucking skull in. Me. Jaune Arc. I made the decision to kill him when I didn't need to, and I regret it." I let out another shaky breath. "I see his face every time I close my eyes. I see the blood, the hole in his head. Everything. In perfect detail. His lifeless eyes stare back at me, and they accepted it. They accepted that I killed him." I felt a few tears start to streak down my cheeks.

I was breathing heavily as I took another drink from my glass, finishing off that one as well.

Neo's eyes had shifted colors a few times as I had been talking. She looked back to her scroll and thought as she started to type out a response.

"Just don't, Neo." I said quietly, looking down at my glass. I felt her gaze shift to me. "I don't need more words to try and make me feel better."

She went back to her scroll then. It was slid over to me a moment later. _You don't need alcohol to deal with it either._

I laughed bitterly at that. "Maybe I don't, but I'll be damned if it doesn't make it easier. Wasn't the bar your idea in the first place?"

Neo shrugged. _I thought it'd be easier to get you to talk if you had something to drink._

I shook my head. "Yeah, well, now you know. Is your curiosity sated?"

She nodded at me.

"Good, so now it's my turn to ask a question." I said, taking a drink from my glass, eyeing it carefully. "Why do you care at all that something's bothering me?"

Her response came quickly. _You're my friend, believe it or not. I don't like seeing my friends hurting like this if I can help it._

I chuckled mirthlessly and shook my head. "Not much you could do to help. Anything that can be done has been by both Roman and Junior." I sighed, taking another drink from my glass. "Jaune Arc, friend of criminals, assassins, and crime bosses. Who would've thought?"

Neo typed out a new message to me. _My turn again. Why did you join Roman and become a criminal?_

I hummed as I finished my glass once again and poured another. "Why did I become a criminal?" I offered a glance up, but found no barkeep in the room at all. He had likely gone into the back at some point. "Because I had nothing else. No money, no skills, no friends, no family, nothing." I paused a moment longer to eye the bottle of whiskey I had been drinking. "And so Roman shows up, has me scared to death, and proceeds to offer me an opportunity."

I laughed slightly at that. "I would've been stupid to say no. He gave me what nobody else had; he gave me a chance. The fact that I was a criminal was secondary. What mattered was that I was being given a chance to do something with my life."

Neo nodded along as I spoke. _So, it was desperation that drove you to crime._

I chuckled and nodded. "It was. I mean, look at me. Do I look like someone who would become a criminal?"

Neo arched a brow at me. _Do I look like one?_

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "You got me there."

My scroll buzzed, and I pulled it out to see a message from Ruby.

_Ruby: Alright, so I just finished up the final design for Crocea Mors. I went and got a second opinion on it from someone at school, and they said that a shotgun as well as a sword seemed a little redundant. They suggested a rifle instead, and I agreed it made more sense. So, when you get a chance, we can meet up and I'll take Crocea Mors off your hands._

_Jaune: A rifle instead of a shotgun works for me. If you have time tomorrow, I can leave Crocea Mors with you then. Any idea how long the upgrades will take?_

I looked back up from my scroll to see Neo eyeing me curiously. She tilted her head slightly at me and nodded towards my scroll. "Just a friend who's offering to do some upgrades on Crocea Mors for me. She's trying to find out when I'll be able to drop the sword with her."

Neo frowned at that, though shrugged a shoulder as she sipped at her mixed drink.

_Ruby: Tomorrow should work, yeah. As far as how long, considering I have school during the week, I'd say like, a week or so?_

_Jaune: Alright, that's not exactly convenient. Any chance I can get it rushed?_

_Ruby: I mean, I can try._

_Jaune: How long would that be?_

_Ruby: Two days at most._

_Jaune: Are you willing?_

_Ruby: Yes! Definitely, I'll try. We still on for tomorrow, then?_

_Jaune: Yeah, tomorrow. _

I pocketed my scroll again and poured another glass of whiskey.

"We still playing?" I asked as I eyed Neo who looked up to me and nodded. "I think it's my turn." I trailed off as I thought. "Let's go with something easy. How old are you?"

Neo arched a brow at me, a small smile playing on her lips as she slid her answer over to me. _Not telling, that takes away the fun._ I rolled my eyes at that. I should've known better than to expect an answer from her. _Tell me about your friend who's upgrading your sword?_

I arched a brow at that and thought. "Interesting question." I shrugged a shoulder as I took a drink from my glass. "Her name is Ruby. About your height, black hair with red tips, captivating silver eyes." I paused for a moment. "Oh, and wields a huge scythe that shifts into a sniper rifle."

Neo nodded, typing out something on her scroll. _How'd you meet her?_

I chuckled and rubbed at the back of my head. "Funny, that. I was in a dust shop that Roman was robbing. He let us go as long as we didn't cause trouble." I thought for a moment, then narrowing my eyes at Neo. "Wait a minute, that was two questions."

Neo rolled her eyes. _Damage has been done. You got another question?_

I hummed as I thought. "Alright, your hair and eyes; are they natural, or part of your semblance?"

Neo tapped her fingers against the table before she responded. _All natural. Changing my eye color to something they aren't naturally is semblance._

"Huh. So, your eyes swapping colors sometimes is natural too?"

Neo nodded. "Damn, that's actually pretty cool."

She laughed silently. _Glad you think so. That was your two questions, by the way._

I nodded, leaning back in the booth as I took another drink of my whiskey.

Neo drummed her fingers against the table in thought. An idea came to mind, and she typed out her question to me. _Tell me about your dad. What was he like?_

I started to chew on the inside of my cheek as I thought how best to approach that question. "Dad was… Effective, I guess is a good way to put it. He always knew how things had to be done, and you had to do it his way. Probably why he is such a good Huntsman."

I trailed off as I started to look back on some of the memories from home. Some good, others not so much.

[-/-]

_"Dad? Why won't you train me like you did with Alicia?" I asked, seated on a log outside as Jason Arc went through a series of strikes against a training dummy he had set up in the back yard._

_"Because you don't have what it takes." He answered simply._

_I pouted at that. "I do! I want to be a Huntsman like you, Dad. I can do it, I promise."_

_Jason Arc sighed as he finished his assault on the training dummy, turning to look at me, something unreadable in his eye. "No, Jaune. You can't."_

_I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "Why not?"_

_He sighed and sheathed his sword. "I don't need to explain it. You can't, enough said."_

_I hopped up off the log that I was sat on and glared more at him. "The only reason I can't is because you refuse to train me! I want to be a hero, Dad! I want to help people! I don't want to have to hide behind my sisters forever."_

_He looked me over for a moment before turning and walking off without responding to me._

_I blinked a few times as I watched him walk back into the house._

_I didn't understand. What did my sisters have that I didn't? I was just as brave as they were, I was just as willing to work as hard as they were. I wanted to learn, I wanted to become a huntsman so that I could be the one to protect them for once._

_Dad always said no. He never gave me a real reason, he always told me I couldn't. He never explained, only told me no and left._

[-/-]

_It was the dead of night in the Arc household, and I was pretty sure that I was the only one awake._

_I shouldered the bag of clothes and other assorted supplies that was hidden in the back of my closet. As quietly as I could, I slipped down stairs. The house was dark, and I knew that if I turned on a light, or so much as made a noise, I'd be heard._

_I swallowed nervously and made my way though the hallways of my home._

_Once I entered the main room, I found what I was looking for. Crocea Mors was hung on the wall, the shield extended with the sword still sheathed in it. I took the weapon off the wall and collapsed the shield, surprised that it was as quiet as it was. I strapped it to my hip, finding that the weight felt foreign and uncomfortable, though I'd press through it._

_I made my way into the kitchen and found the jar of lien that Mom had hidden away for a rainy day. Part of me felt incredibly bad about what I was about to do, but I had to try. I took the jar and slipped it into my backpack. With a deep breath, I slipped out the front door of the Arc household._

_I started to walk towards town._

_I glanced back at the house as I made my way down the path. I was leaving my family behind to chase my dream. They'd understand in time. They'd forgive me once I became a Huntsman and showed them that I can do this._

_I sighed and turned my back on the Arc household and continued down the path towards town. Hopefully, I'd be able to catch a ride with a merchant headed towards a larger village._

[-/-]

Neo snapped her fingers in front of my face, getting me to snap out of whatever thoughts I had been caught in. She tilted her head as she looked at me with curious eyes. She held out her scroll with a message on it. _You okay?_

I nodded. "Yeah, just got lost in thought a little. What happened?"

Neo frowned as she heard my response, though chose not to push it. _Nothing, really. You just sort of spaced out there for a minute or two._

I shrugged. "Nothing to worry about, just some old memories." I waved a dismissive hand, taking another drink of my whiskey. I eyed the bottle which had been full at the start of the night, though now was only three quarters full.

I glanced over to Neo who had since finished her mixed drink some time ago, and was leaning back into the booth as well, watching me with curious eyes.

I grabbed the cheque and made my way to the bar. The barkeep came out a moment later and smiled at me. I dropped the lien cards, along with a nice tip for him, on the counter and left. I stood at the edge of the table and eyed Neo over. "Well, I promised you ice cream as well as dinner. Anywhere in particular you want to go?"

Neo tapped her lips as she thought, then shaking her head.

"Alright, nearest ice cream parlor here we come." I said, grabbing my bottle of whiskey before we left.

Neo and I wandered the now mostly empty streets of Vale in search of an open ice cream parlor.

It didn't take all that long to find one.

Neo and I wandered in, and the girl who was about my age waved, a tired smile on her lips. "Just a vanilla shake for me, and then whatever she wants." I said, nodding towards Neo who pointed at something on the menu. The girl behind the counter took a little bit to figure it out, but eventually rang up our order. I grumbled as I used the last of my lien cards to pay for the ice cream.

With frozen treats in hand, Neo and I left the parlor and started back towards the apartment we called home. I glanced at my scroll, only to find that it was nearing midnight. Truth be told, I was surprised somewhere like that was open this late.

It didn't matter, not all that much.

We were walking in a relatively comfortable silence. Then again, when dealing with Neo silence is a given. Despite that, I didn't feel an incredible air of awkward pressing down on my being, threatening to crush my soul.

As we neared the apartment, Neo stopped and looked to me, passing me her scroll. _Thanks for taking me out, Jaune. I had fun._

I chuckled and passed her scroll back. "Mhm, I did too, for the most part." I paused a moment. "Bonus points for me not getting stabbed, nor you making an attempt all night."

Neo narrowed her eyes at me, a small smile on her lips as she responded. _That can still be changed._

I rolled my eyes. "It can be, but I'd like it if I got to keep my bonus points, thanks."

Neo tapped her lips as she thought up her response. _Fine, just this once you can keep them._

I chuckled and shook my head. "How generous of you."

She nodded at me. _Damn right I am, and don't you forget it._

We pushed into the apartment, and Roman was sat in his recliner, flipping through the TV idly as he smoked a cigar as per usual. He glanced back at us and grinned wide. "Well, the love birds have finally returned. How was your date?"

I felt some warmth creep up my neck, though shrugged. "Date, right. If you mean me getting dragged out to buy her dinner, alcohol, and ice cream is a date, then relatively well."

Roman chuckled and shook his head. "Kid, that is almost the definition of a date."

I blinked once, twice, three times. "Huh." Genius response, really.

Roman just started laughing. "You really are a bit dense aren't you, kid?"

I coughed into my fist awkwardly. "Probably?"

Roman continued to laugh. "Well done, kid. Well done. At least you're not sporting any new holes."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah, at least." I mumbled quietly.

I realized that, at some point, Neo had wandered off to go do whatever it is that Neo does in her spare time. She wasn't on the couch, so I could assume she was in her room.

I yawned, stretching my arms high over my head. "Well, I'm probably going to get some sleep."

Roman waved a hand as he turned back to the TV. "If you're feeling ballsy, see what happens if you walk into her room."

I shook my head. "My innards are comfortable where they are, thank you very much, Roman."

Roman chuckled and shrugged. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"Nothing lost either." I countered as I made my way to my room.

As soon as I made contact with my bed, I collapsed and fell into the rather quickly enclosing arms of sleep. _Blood. – You did what you had to. Acceptance – I changed your perspective. Murderer – It's part of the job._

[-/-]

It was around five in the afternoon, and I was laying back in a park bench, looking up at the sky as I waited for time to pass me by. Ruby was supposed to come around here shortly and collect Crocea Mors from me. After that? I don't know, I didn't have a plan. Just waste time, I guess.

Without Crocea Mors at my side, fighting would get rather hard. Maybe it'd be worthwhile to have Roman teach me how to fight while I was disarmed. I shrugged at that and sighed, listening to the people walking about, as well as the quiet conversations that acted as background noise.

I wasn't alone for terribly long, when one Ruby Rose came running up with her semblance spewing rose petals behind her. I had braced myself for impact, only to find that she had stopped just short of me, a wide smile on her lips as her cloak billowed in the wind behind her.

I smiled in return and nodded. "About time you showed up, Red." I joked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"What? No! I'm not late! Okay, maybe I am a little late, but it's not my fault! People wouldn't get out of my way, and I accidentally knocked some people over, and it was just…" Ruby started, a little red in the cheeks, I could only chuckle and wave a hand at her.

"Calm down, Red. I'm just pulling your leg."

Ruby sighed and relaxed slightly, her cloak coming to rest more against her frame. _Blood everywhere._ I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Ruby was fine, not a scratch on her. Just my head pulling tricks on me.

"Really? Great! Good, I was worried that I had you waiting for a while." Ruby's gaze tracked to Crocea Mors sheathed and leaning on the bench next to me. "Can I?" She asked hesitantly.

I nodded. "Have at it, Ruby."

Ruby took the sword in hand and drew it from the sheath, eyeing the blade carefully. She didn't examine the sword for long and shifted her attention to the sheath. I found it amusing how she sat and tried to figure out how to deploy it on her own, and failed spectacularly.

After a few minutes she looked to me abashedly. "Hey, uh, Jaune? Can you show me how to deploy it?" She asked sheepishly.

I nodded and took the sheath from her. "Right here, where it would normally hook to my belt, there's a little switch that you've got to flick." I did so, and the shield deployed in full. "And to turn it back, you pull back the locking mechanism, and flick the switch again." I said, closing it back to a sheath.

Ruby nodded and took it from me, deploying the sheath into a shield after a moment of fiddling.

She tried for a minute or two to get the shield to collapse again, and I found it amusing that she still couldn't get it. "Here, let me show you." I said, reaching a hand out. I took her wrist in hand and directed her. "First, that's the locking mechanism. You've got to hold it open while you hit the switch or nothing will happen."

She nodded, looking at me for a moment, and then back to the shield. "And the switch is easy." I said, directing her hand to where it needed to be in order to close the shield up again. "And just like that, you know the inner workings of Crocea Mors as well as I do." I said, releasing her wrist and leaning back into the bench.

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Awesome. I'll get to work on it as soon as I get home. Like I said, I'd say it'll be like two days or so before it's done."

I nodded, digging a hand into my pocket. "Alright, and how much will I owe you for that exactly?"

Ruby blinked owlishly at me, tilting her head to the side as she eyed me up. "Wha?"

I pulled out a few lien cards that Roman had lent me. "Payment? You know, for upgrading Crocea Mors for me? I don't imagine the parts are cheap, and it's not like you've got all day to work on it either."

Ruby shook her head. "No, but it's okay, Jaune. You don't need to pay me. This is just a favor for a friend, and I'm doing this because I want to. Not to get paid."

I rose my brows at that. "Really? You sure you don't want me to at least cover the cost for parts?"

Ruby nodded. "Yep! I'm sure. Signal is great and lets us use their forge as much as we want, as long as we have a teacher supervising us. Lucky me, dad is a teacher so it'll be easy."

I blinked and then pocketed the lien cards once again. "Well okay, then. If you're sure?"

She nodded again. "One hundred percent sure, Jaune. You can count on me!"

I shrugged. "Alright, Ruby. If you say so."

The silence that followed started to feel somewhat heavy as neither of us knew exactly what to say or do. I didn't plan on anything other than dropping the sword off with her. Was I supposed to suggest we do something?

"Soooooo, I uh, don't really have anything to be doing right now… I mean, other than working on your sword that is, er Crocea Mors I mean. Do you, uh, want to go do something?" Ruby managed, more than a little red in the face. _Blood framing his features._ I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. "I mean, we don't have to if it's going to be conflicting with something you have to do!"

I smiled as I looked at her and shook my head. "No, no. I've got nothing to do. Anythi- "I was cut off as my scroll buzzed loudly in my pocket. I sighed and pulled it out. "Give me a minute, Ruby." She nodded.

"Jaune speaking."

"_We've got something you'll want to hear, kid. Make your way to the Club once you get a chance."_

"Is it something I've got to be there for now?"

_"No, he's not going anywhere. Though the sooner the better."_

"Alright, I'm on my way."

_"See you then, kid."_

I hung up the scroll and pocketed it once more. "Sorry 'bout that, Ruby. Boss wanted to see me."

Ruby frowned at me. "Is something wrong at work?"

I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders. "I think the better question is what _isn't_ wrong at work."

Ruby hummed and nodded. "So, it's not something you need to attend to like, right now?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Hate to say it, Red, but I've got to run. Thanks for grabbing Crocea Mors and upgrading it for me. I appreciate it, really."

Ruby beamed back at me, nodding vigorously. "No problem, Jaune! It's my pleasure, I get to work on a cool weapon and help a friend? What's not to like?"

I shrugged my shoulders and got to my feet, stretching my arms behind my back, creating several loud pops. "Well, I'm glad you're excited. I look forward to seeing what you can pull off." I ruffled her hair, and she tried to swat my hand away halfheartedly. "I'll see you in a few days, Ruby."

She wrapped her arms around me in a sudden hug and smiled up at me. "For sure. Thanks for letting me design and work on it, by the way. I promise you won't be disappointed."

I nodded and pried her off me after a moment of effort. I turned to leave, feeling vulnerable without Crocea Mors at my side. _I should invest in secondary weaponry. Wonder what a good knife would run me?_

I'd worry about that later. Now, I was curious as to what Junior had that was so interesting that I needed to hear it.

* * *

**And that's a wrap. Woo!**

**Neo and Jaune had their date, which I'm not sure how I feel about. Then again, I don't know how I feel about any of my writing. I spend a lot of time staring at it, editing and changing things that it ceases to have any semblance of being good or bad. Oh, and Crocea Mors is out for upgrades from our favorite Red Reaper, so that's nice.**

**On to reviews, one of my favorite things!**

**Engineer - Salem giving Boarbatusks wings. I am fearful for Remnant when that happens. But yes, Roman knew Jaune's dad in some capacity, and that was one of the things that I really liked about this story when I was outlining it a few months ago. A fight between Roman and Papa Arc would be juicy to read, and who knows? Maybe you're right, maybe not. As for Nora just ceding Ren like that, it does seem strange, doesn't it? Then again, we only saw a little bit of Nora. She may yet try and break Jaune's kneecaps at her own risk. Neo is a scary, and very stabby, protective woman. No interruptions for Jaune and Neo, though it wasn't all smooth sailing.**

**Exiled Darkness - I'm with you on that one, 100%. As far as Ren, that was just what I saw and put in the story because why not? Changes the dynamic from the usual brolationship that they have in most every other fic out there.**

**AceSpeedNinja - Well, that's great. Who knew that I'd get someone interested in it. I can't think of any particularly good Jaune x Ren fics out there atm, but I'm sure they exist. Somewhere.**

**Qwertynus - Gay Ren indeed.**

**Greer - I got to show off his semblance and how he uses it to force control in his team, as well as how the dynamic isn't the same between Jaune and Ren as in every other RWBY fic that shows them off together. As far as Roman living, Magic 8 Ball says... Nothing. The Magic 8 ball is broken after just one use, damnit. Oh well. Short form answer - You'll have to read on and see yourself. Also, no harm no foul my dude. I'm doing great, thanks for asking. Preparing for impending doom by finals in a couple weeks.**

**X3 - I'd like to think that Ren being gay surprised a lot of people, and I'm happy it did. As far as the date, who knows. I'm going to say it was, sorta. When I think about a date, if one party has that kind of feelings but is feeling out the other party, it still is a date. Kinda. I dunno, I've got like no (good) experience in dating. As far as him being an Illia, who knows. Maybe. It could happen. As for Pyrrha, it would be safe to assume she hates it, yeah. Though she doesn't have the spine to tell her to stop.**

**Ghost Rider - Hey, thanks man. I didn't see a lot of crime fics out there from the criminal side, so I decided this would be fun. I got my first massive boost to inspiration from College Fool's _A Common Criminal Or Something_ Which, now that I'm doing a little more research, I'm realizing I stole the name for Junior's Gang from too. Here I thought that the Red Axe Gang was the canon name. Oops.**

**Specter - We've got a betting man who's got money on it being Neo. We will see, my friend. We will see. As far as Ren, in canon for sure Ren's balls would be busted if he were gay, but this is FanFiction. I can do what I want and embrace my own little bit of headcanon to change things. Here's your next update, and I'm glad you enjoyed my 5 AM writing. It made sense, which in of itself is a miracle for me.**

**Ymora - So, they've met already, though it was brief. Don't worry, though. Jaune will meet them in due time, along with Blake and Weiss when the time comes. As far as Pyrrha's canon death, I don't know honestly. My outline doesn't cover it, so I'll figure that out when I get to it.**

**WildlyLaughing - Why did I think he was gay? Well, pink eyes and hair were a huge start towards that. Beyond that, he's got the longer hair, but also his sense of style. I don't know why, but to me it says a gay man. Is that profiling of some nature? Probably, but oh well. There were a few smaller things, but those were the really big ones.**

**Greer - (Again) She tried, really, she did.**

**Deku - I liked the Roman and Jaune interaction the most, personally. Roman is one of my all time favorite characters, if not my favorite period. He feels a little underrepresented in the fandom, and I'm aiming to rectify that a little bit. Who knows, maybe Ren is a false contender in the race and won't run at all. You may be right, you may be wrong. We will see what happens when Pyrrha and Jaune properly meet and talk. That's coming soon, ish. It's somewhere in my outline, but things are kind of murky because I've gone off track a little with this whole gang war. Oops.**

**And that's all my reviews since I last published, nice. Keep 'em coming, boys. I love that feedback I get.**

**So, yeah, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story and all that it's got to offer. I hope that it keeps you entertained, even though I feel like the quality is kinda variable though I can't pinpoint why exactly. *Shrug* let me know down in the reviews if things seem variable in quality or if it's my imagination.**

**But yeah, if you enjoyed please be sure to drop a follow and favorite to know when I update the story, and to encourage me to keep on writing as much as I am. If you're feeling particularly kind, I would love it if you gave me a review, even if it's just something that says good job, or keep on going. I read them all and it makes me happy to know people enjoy.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, May 3rd**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Woo, and super late on a Friday, I have the next chapter of Criminally Good. Oh, important AN at the bottom, too.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 11]

I made my way into the Club. Not much had changed since I was last there. Goons were still moving about, clearly armed and on guard. Others were moving about with med kits and carrying wounded and dead through the building.

Junior was stood behind the bar, pouring drinks for a few of the goons who were gathered around him, talking amongst themselves. I supposed that it made sense, just like I needed a drink to help take the edge off everything that happened, they probably did too.

Junior looked up at me once I had approached, taking a moment to look me over in the relatively fresh goon suit I had been supplied. He offered a nod and said something to the group of goons, excusing himself to come and talk to me.

"Didn't waste time, kid." He commented as he approached me.

I shrugged a shoulder. "You said the sooner the better. Something you thought I'd want to see, or hear?"

Junior nodded and waved a hand for me to follow him. "Think you'll find it interesting at the least."

I arched a brow as I fell into step behind Junior. He led me not to his office, but through into the back rooms of the Club. We made several turns and twists in the seemingly never-ending hallways that I wasn't paying all that close attention to. Junior stopped in front of one of the doors and threw it open.

Inside was a familiar layout. It was just like the room I had been put up in when I had been shot a month or more ago. Though what was different was the contents of the room.

There were two armed guards standing near the door, and one man tied to a chair, looking well beaten. I recognized him after a moment as the guy who had led the ambush on myself and Roman a few days ago. He clearly had a broken nose, and blood was dried on his face as well as crusted on his clothes.

I glanced over to Junior who only arched a brow at me before walking over to the chair and driving a fist hard into the man's stomach. This elicited a groan, and the guy sitting up more to look at Junior, giving him a venomous glare.

"Good. You're awake." Junior said, his voice not sounding quite like I'd ever remembered it. His tone was steely, cold, and harsh. I'd heard Junior's anger before, I'd heard him chew out goons for something or other that they didn't do right, but I'd never heard it this steely and cold.

It was unsettling.

"Completely by my own volition, too." He spat out to Junior, glaring at him still.

I glanced between the two. "Uh, Junior? You said he's got something I'd like to hear?" I wasn't one in the market for watching Junior beat a tied and captured man. Even if he'd tried to kill both me and Roman.

Junior nodded and rocked back on his heels crossing his arms. "Now, bud, you have two options. You tell him what you told me last night, or I make you tell him."

The tied man eyed Junior warily before looking to me then, his one eye that wasn't covered in a patch was blackened, bruises all over his face to boot. He let out a sigh and winced in pain. "I'll go with the first long as you don't fucking hit me again…" He grumbled out in response.

"Why'd you attack Jaune and Roman the other night?" Junior started, eyeing the tied man closely.

"Was an order from the higherups." He started, coughing violently. "Someone wanted your head kid. Wanted your sword, too. Was told to bring you in dead or, preferably, alive. The important bit was the blade."

I narrowed my eyes as I approached him and crouched down to look him in the eye. "Why?" My question was simple. I knew why they wanted me dead, I was showing to be one of Junior's lieutenants, leading raids and the defense of a supply depot. Not only had I fought one of their commanders, I'd killed another.

The tied man chuckled and then winced in pain, groaning slightly. "You think they'd tell me? I'm a nobody, kid. Gave me orders to bring back your head and the sword, that's it."

I glanced over to Junior who only nodded. _Really? This is what's so important?_ "Alright, why do _you_ think they want Crocea Mors?" I tried, there's more to this.

The goon only laughed once more, and then winced in pain that came from Junior's interrogation tactics. "You think I know why they want it? It's just a sword, doubt it's any more or less useful than the ones I use." He narrowed his eye slightly at me. "Speaking of, where's it at, blondie?"

"Not here, and that's all you need to know." I said, getting back to my feet and looking back to Junior.

Junior frowned and approached the tied goon once again. "You were sent to get the sword and Jaune's head. How'd you know where he was going to be when you chose to ambush him?"

The goon shrugged a shoulder. "Not my deal. Just told a place and a time, and that he'd be there. Torchwick was a surprise that we didn't exactly plan for."

Junior narrowed his eyes. "Someone told you the when and the where. You mean to tell me someone's got eyes on him?"

The goon grinned slightly and shrugged. "Don't ask me, chief. I'm just the guy who led the hit squad."

Junior growled and kicked the man square in the chest, sending his chair toppling to the ground, making the goon's head slam against the concrete floor. "Let's try that again. Do you have eyes on him?"

The goon groaned in pain from his semi prone position. "Shit, you hit harder than your underlings." He said through long breaths. "If I had to guess, yes, we have eyes watching him. He's got something that belongs to us. The boss wants that sword back, and he'll damn well try to take it."

I pursed my lips. _They've been watching me for a while. They know where Roman and I go to train, and the way we tend to take on the way back… Even after that failed attempt to take me down, I'm willing to bet they've got eyes on me. Which means they probably saw me give the sword to Ruby._

"Son of a bitch." I said, a wide pit opening in my stomach. _I've put her in danger. If what he's said is true, they want the sword more than they want me. Ruby is in danger just by having it with her._

Junior arched a brow at me. "Something wrong, kid?"

I swallowed nervously, my mind still racing. "Wha? Yeah. Just realized I might've fucked up bad."

Junior narrowed his eyes at my statement while the goon just laughed. "Your sword isn't here. You gave it to someone, didn't you? Someone you care about." The twisted sort of amusement in his voice set me on edge.

"Shut up." I growled lowly to him.

He laughed again. "You fucked up, kid." The pain that came with his laughing like that didn't show much on his face. I didn't feel quite in control of my body as I stalked over to him and delivered a solid kick to his side.

I had kicked him two or three more times by the time Junior had taken my shoulder in hand and pulled me back, away from the prone form of the goon, writhing in pain. "That's enough, Jaune." He said as sternly as he could manage, making eye contact, his gaze seeming to tell me that he understands, but this won't help.

I relented and stepped back with a sigh. Junior sat the chair back on its legs and eyed the goon tied to it. Neither of them said anything as Junior turned back to me and led me out of the makeshift interrogation room back through the hallways.

It was only a minute or two before Junior had led me into his office, this time with the twins absent. He took a seat behind his desk and eyed me carefully. "Alright, kid. Based on your reaction to his goading, I'm going to say that you did drop Crocea Mors with someone you care about. Fine. What shop?"

I shook my head at Junior's question. "Not at a shop. She doesn't work for one, so she'll be doing all the upgrades at Signal."

Junior frowned at my statement. "She a huntress in training?"

I nodded. "Something like that. She's a few years younger than I am, I think. At one of the prep schools before she goes to an Academy, or something like that."

Junior drummed his fingers against the desk as he thought. "Think she can hold her own if she got attacked?"

I shrugged. "No idea. Never seen her fight, though if they're stupid enough to just send goons after her, she'll probably be fine. What I've got to worry about is if they send one of their lieutenants."

Junior hummed noncommittally. "I doubt they'd be able to do anything soon. Making plans to ambush someone takes time." He paused, letting my spirits lift slightly. "At the earliest, they might try to pull something tomorrow or the next day."

I groaned at that. "Well, she said two days and I'd have Crocea Mors back."

Junior nodded. "Then she should be fine. I won't say that's for sure, but more likely than not she'll be fine."

I sighed, nodding. "I hope you're right, Junior. For her sake, and mine, I hope you're right."

Junior smiled at me and nodded. "I'm willing to bet I am, kid. I run a gang of my own, here. Setting up ambushes like that isn't easy, or quick to do."

I relaxed slightly, trusting Junior's word. Even if it wasn't a guarantee, Ruby should be safe. At least relatively.

"Even then, kid. You said she's at Signal. First off, that's over in Patch, and second, it's a damn huntsman prep school. She's probably just about as safe as can be."

I nodded once more. "You're right, Junior. At least, I hope you are."

"Don't stress so much, kid. She'll be fine." Junior said, rising from his chair. "Now, c'mon. Let's get you outfitted with a sword since having you walking around unarmed sounds like asking to die."

I chuckled and got up to follow him. "I'd like to not die, so I'll take you up on your offer of a sword."

Junior rolled his eyes and led me from his office and into the Club proper again. "Kid, nobody wants to die, not really."

[-/-]

A few hours later, with the sword Junior had given me now strapped to my side, I found myself in the same weapons shop that had Crocea Mors in it not too long ago.

This time, the shopkeeper was an older gentleman, likely the owner of the store. Despite the fact that it had been broken into and pillaged not but a few weeks ago, the shop was once again open. Though not all of the displays had been refilled in that time. There were lots of empty spaces.

I was browsing through the collection of knives that the shop had on offer. I didn't need anything spectacular; this wasn't meant to be my primary weapon. More of a backup, just in case something went awry.

My gaze was drawn to a simple pair of knives on one of the shelves. They weren't flashy, no mechashift into pistols or something that I didn't need. The blades themselves were about as long as my hand and a plain gunmetal gray. The handle wasn't eye catching either, simple leather wrapped around the hilt to make the grip all that much more comfortable. _These should do nicely, I think._

I called the shopkeeper over and pointed down to the pair of knives in the case. "Those are what I'm looking for." He nodded and took out a key to unlock the case. He slid the glass aside and took the knives out and handed them to me.

I felt them both, and truth be told, I wouldn't have been able to tell if they felt right or wrong. The weight was comfortable enough though, so I guessed that was enough. I took a few practice swings with the blades through the air, content with the grip. I nodded appreciatively as I sheathed the blades once more.

"I'll take them both." I said confidently, handing the shopkeeper the blades once more.

"Good, good. Now if you'll just come up to the front, we'll get you paid up." I nodded and followed behind him as he slowly made his way to the front counter.

Once he made his way behind, he checked the price tag on the blades and then looked to me, a kindly smile that only an old person could manage while selling weapons. "That'll be three hundred and fifty lien."

I found myself choking slightly at the price, but it was worth it for a pair of good blades. Even then, this was Roman's money that I was spending. He'd given it to me to cover expenses to have Crocea Mors upgraded. This is close enough, right?

I handed the lien chips over and took the two knives in hand, eyeing the dual blades. _I don't even know where I'm going to stow these things._ I shrugged and stuck them in one of my jacket pockets.

"Thank you for your business." The old man said, offering a wave to me as I left the shop.

I offered a wave over my shoulder, though didn't respond. _Funny, how not too long ago I was going to rob this place just to get Crocea Mors back._ I shook my head as I stepped out into the afternoon air of Vale.

I glanced down at my scroll and thought to myself. _It's only just now six._ My stomach growled loudly in protest. _I've not had anything since breakfast this morning… Well, guess I'm off to waste more of Roman's money._

I pocketed my scroll once more and made my way though the streets. Ruby had shown me a few places that she liked to frequent in the city, restaurants and arcades, not to mention just about every weapons shop in the city.

None of those particularly appealed to me, though. I didn't know what I was looking for, only that I was looking for food.

My search didn't take long, just another few minutes of walking.

I found myself in a sports bar of sorts. It was busy I noted. Most of the bar was filled up with patrons enjoying whatever alcohol they had bought, as well as their dinners which I noted consisted primarily of burgers and wings. It was simple bar food, and that'd do just fine by me.

I came in and took a seat at the bar, the barkeep coming around rather quickly. He gave me a strange look, considering my hat and the red shades I had on. I chuckled nervously and took off the shades and hat, tucking the sunglasses into my jacket pocket, and resting the hat in my lap.

I placed my order for drink and the barkeep wandered on to the next patron who needed his attention. A few minutes later, I had a tall glass of some beer they claimed was good, and my order placed. I sighed quietly as I leaned on the bar and glanced at the patrons around me. Most of whom were ignoring me all together and either talking to each other, or staring soullessly into their dinners.

I wasn't alone all that long, though. Next to me, a seat had vacated and a familiar face took a seat in it. The man was tall, with long black hair splotched with gray in some places. It was none other than Qrow, the huntsman I met a while ago at Juniors.

"Well, well, well. Would you look at that, everywhere I look, you blonde haired, blue eyed bastards are there." He grumbled as he flagged down the barkeep and got a drink.

I arched a brow at Qrow's comment. "Good to see you too, old man."

He growled lowly at me. "Watch who you're calling old, brat. I can still kick your ass."

I chuckled and shrugged, taking a drink of the beer which was decidedly garbage compared to whiskey, but the more you know. "Never said you couldn't. Just stating the fact; your hair is graying, therefore you're old."

Qrow sighed and pulled out his flask to take a long drink while he waited on whatever he ordered from the bar. "It's called stress, kid. Real stress. The kind of shit you deal with when you've got a job being a huntsman." He shook his head as he pocketed his flask once more.

The barkeep came around and set his glass on the counter, making himself scarce quickly. I hummed at Qrow's comment. "Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say."

Qrow hummed as he took his drink from the bar. "You know, kid, I'd think that when you're not on the clock for Junior, you'd drop the whole goon suit shtick. Makes you hard to approach for most people."

I shrugged a shoulder as I took another drink of the terribly bitter beer. "That's by design. Didn't think I'd be out here to talk to anyone."

Qrow chuckled and shook his head. "Antisocial little brat. Any reason you're trying to avoid talking to people?"

I paused for a moment and shrugged. "Just want to think, I guess?"

"And you came to a busy sports bar to do that?"

"It was working just fine until you showed up."

"Which proves my point. A busy sports bar is a shit choice to think, someone might come harass you." Qrow pointed out unhelpfully.

I sighed and shook my head. "Fine, you've got a point. Happy?"

Qrow chuckled. "I'm never happy, kid. But this'll do for now." He raised his glass in my direction as he took another drink. "Now, what's so important that you've got to sit, drink, and think?"

I drummed my fingers against the bar top. "Just kinda screwed up earlier today. Put someone in danger that could've easily been avoided if I'd just used my damn head."

Qrow nodded. "All it takes is that happening once or twice and you'll quit it." Now that I listened more closely to his words, they were slurred more than a little. How that escaped me before just now is beyond me, but it's noticeable now that I've caught it. "They get hurt?"

I shook my head. "Not yet she didn't. Only a matter of time, though."

Qrow hummed quietly at my response. "They're still in danger, then?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She's doing me a favor. The longer she's doing that for me, the longer she's in danger."

Qrow thought for a moment. "This she we're talking about wouldn't happen to be working on doing some upgrades to a sword and shield, would she?"

I furrowed my brows as I eyed Qrow. "That's an oddly specific question."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb, kid. I know Ruby's working on upgrading Crocea Mors for you." I opened my mouth to respond and then closed it. _How? How does he know?_ "What, you didn't think that her uncle would keep some tabs on who she spends time with? You're one of those people if you, somehow, weren't aware, kid."

I blinked a few times, reeling more than a little. _He only knows that I'm friends with Ruby. He doesn't know anything about Torchwick. Hopefully._ "Right, right. She just never mentioned you."

Qrow shrugged. "It's not important. What is important, is that sword of yours." He paused to take a drink from his glass. "Crocea Mors, great familial sword of the Arcs. Been passed down for a few generations now, ever since the Great War or there abouts. Always goes to the first-born son of the Arc family who goes on to become some sort of great hero. At least, that's what the stories say about it."

I suddenly found my drink more interesting than Qrow was, though he continued on. "See, ever since the Academies had been built, they were where the Arcs went to become heroes. Before that, they joined the Army." He paused to look me over. "You, on the other hand, wield the blade and work for Junior the information broker of Vale. Care to explain how that came to be?" His voice was pointed, making it clear that I didn't have much choice but to answer his question. Then there was the fact that he was a huntsman and I was a kid with a sword.

_I could always try and BS my way out of this, though I doubt that'd go well for me. He's got to know I'm an Arc… Probably from Ruby. Not to mention he recognized the sword._ I found myself chewing on my lower lip as I thought on my response. "Well…" _Is there any harm in telling him part of the truth here? As long as I don't let too much slip, I should be fine._

"My dad never trained me like he did my sisters. Never taught me how to fight, never unlocked my Aura, none of it, really. Though more than anything, I wanted to be a huntsman. I took the sword and came to Vale, applied to Beacon, and they rejected me. A kid with no Aura, no training, it seems obvious, right?" I chuckled mirthlessly and shook my head. "After that, I showed up at Junior's and he took pity on me. Gave me a job working as a bouncer." I shrugged a shoulder after that. "The rest is pretty boring, just a lot of working the job, really."

Qrow had nodded along with my story, polishing off his glass. "See, kid, that's a great story. Really, it is. Though see, Crocea Mors was reported as one of the stolen items from a weapons shop not too long ago. Then, a few days later, you're walking around with it."

I swallowed nervously as I didn't know how to explain my way around that. Either I tell the truth, in which case I'm still a criminal, or he thinks that I'm the one who stole it, or paid someone to do it for me.

"Could've been a lookalike. You said it's a sword with history, I'm willing to bet that someone would make a replica to try and sell it as the original." I tried, grasping desperately at straws, hoping against hope that something would stick here.

Qrow looked thoughtful for a minute as he mulled over my answer. "I might be willing to buy that story."

I felt myself relax ever so slightly at that statement.

"Though it seems just a little _too_ convenient, don't you think? For there to just so happen to be a replica of Crocea Mors floating around town right as you show up with the real one in tow. Seems quite the coincidence."

And I locked right back up. He might be drunk, but he's well aware and not willing to buy my line of crap.

I was bought just a little more time to think by the arrival of my basket of hot wings on the counter before me. I smiled weakly and thanked the waitress, looking back to Qrow once again. The man had decided that he was going to just help himself to my fries.

I licked my lips as I thought. "Alright, so let's say for arguments' sake that the original was in that shop when it got robbed. And I, being the only male Arc of my generation, had rightful claim to the sword. Would it be considered wrong if I were to have stolen it from the thief?"

Qrow hummed as he munched on my fries, drumming his fingers against the bar top. "I don't think so. That'd make a lot more sense to me as well, though that's only the argument talking, right?" He asked with a smug grin on his lips. He knew he'd caught me.

I sighed and shook my head. "Not quite, no. That's more or less what actually happened."

Qrow chuckled and took a wing from the basket. "See? That wasn't so hard, kid." He took a bite off the wing before continuing. "Here's a tip from a professional, making up a BS lie on the spot almost never works on someone who knows what they're doing."

I shrugged, digging into my dinner that I was now sharing with the older huntsman. "Anything else you're wanting to grill me over?"

Qrow thought for a moment and shrugged. "More curious why you're changing Crocea Mors. The weapon is the classic. Didn't think you'd want to screw with it."

I bit into the hot wings which were allegedly 'hot' on their spice rating, but these were closer to mild in my opinion. "Because I think it's about time the sword gets and update. I'm at a disadvantage with the whole lack of a ranged option thing. Better to have it and not need it than not and need is desperately, right?"

Qrow nodded. "You're careful and prepared. Fair enough." He said, taking more of my fries.

I relaxed slightly, feeling sure that Qrow was done harassing me for the evening. "Better safe than sorry." I said off handedly.

Qrow didn't respond, taking one last wing from my tray before getting to his feet and stretching. "Well, it's been fun, kid. But I've got to run. You know, huntsman things to do, people to see, that whole sort of deal."

I nodded towards him. Without another word exchanged between us, he walked out of the bar an into the streets of Vale once more.

I was left alone to eat my dinner in peace after he left. My thoughts were swirling around me all the while.

_How'd he know so much about me? And not only me, but Crocea Mors and the Arcs as a whole? Some of it he could've gotten from Ruby, and our one other interaction, but there's a lot that doesn't make sense. I doubt that Junior would sell me out like that, especially if he hasn't done so for Roman._

_That's gotta mean that he's somehow keeping tabs on me, and cares enough to do some digging. But why would anyone care about some kid with a sword? Sure, it's the Arc family sword, but that's not all that common knowledge. He might give a damn because I'm close to Ruby and he's a bit like Yang trying to protect her, but that seems a little much._

I paid the cheque and left the bar, making my way out into the now dark streets of Vale. My walk back to the apartment was quiet, no interruptions, no ambushes, no people I know showing up out of nowhere, none of it.

I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I made my way up into the apartment, and all was normal. Neo was missing, though Roman was in his recliner, flipping through the TV idly. He glanced back at me, and in one moment arched a brow at me. "Hey, kid. Where's Crocea Mors?"

"I sent it off to get upgraded by a friend. Getting some mechashift in it." I said, moving to take a seat on the couch.

Roman shrugged and looked back to the TV. "Good for you then, kid." He said idly as he flipped through channels again.

I frowned as I looked to Roman. "Say, Roman?" He glanced back to me. "You know anything about fighting unarmed?"

The grin that spread over his lips told me all I needed to know. "Do I know anything about fighting unarmed? Oh, kid, let me tell you do I know a lot about fighting unarmed."

I nodded a bit as I eyed him. "Good. Mind teaching me a bit? I'd rather not get disarmed only to find myself useless."

Roman nodded. "Sure. We can get to work on that starting tomorrow morning if you'd like."

I nodded relaxing back into the couch. "Speaking of, where's Neo? She's usually out here with you when there's nothing better to do."

Roman shrugged a shoulder and looked around. "You expect me to know? What am I, her babysitter?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, a lot of the time I'm thinking it's the other way around, Roman."

The master criminal rolled his eyes at my comment and shook his head. "Definitely." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The conversation petered out quick enough, though it didn't feel awkward as Roman and I sat and watched TV. He had settled on some action movie I'd already seen before, but that was fine. It was good enough to warrant me paying some vague amount of attention to it.

Neither of us noticed the door open and close behind us, and I doubt Roman even noticed Neo at all as she took a seat on the other side of the couch with a tub of ice cream in hand. I arched a brow at her and offered a nod in her direction. She returned the gesture and went to watching TV with us.

The next hour or two passed without anyone really interacting with one another. At some point, Roman fell asleep in his recliner as the three of us continued to waste time watching whatever got turned on next.

Roman got up after a while and eyed me and Neo on the couch. When she had propped her feet up on the couch and used my lap as a decent place to rest them, I don't know. I hadn't been paying attention, and it happened.

Roman arched a brow at me. "Really, kid?"

I shrugged. "I didn't notice it happen. Not like it's all that uncomfortable either."

Roman shook his head. "You are seriously dense, kid."

I blinked, meeting his gaze as he sighed and walked away.

"The hell does he mean I'm dense?" I asked nobody in particular, watching as he wandered back to his room.

Neo sat up more properly and held a hand out to me. I arched a brow at that. "What do you want?"

She pointed to the TV remote that Roman had set on the arm of the couch next to me.

I shrugged and grabbed it, holding it out to her.

She scooted over on the couch and took it from me, flipping to the channel that played her particular show on loop seemingly constantly.

I shrugged a shoulder, letting her do as she pleased. It wasn't worth arguing with her when I knew that it'd just end with me losing and letting her have what she wants anyway.

I closed my eyes and felt myself start to drift off as the quiet tone of the TV and the stale laugh track that I had heard way too many times over the past month or so.

I felt the weight of Neo lean against my side and, rather than do anything about it, I just let her. Again, better to just let her have what she wants.

With Neo leaning against me, I quickly found the tendrils of sleep reaching out to take me under. Part of me pointed out that we're still on the couch. The other decided it wasn't worth getting up, trying to dislodge Neo against her will, and going to bed proper.

Sleep found me, and I was content. His bloodied visage still appeared before me, his accepting gaze bored deep into me, but I wasn't terrified. Not completely this time.

* * *

**Alright, so this chapter is really short again, and I apologize for that. Finals are rapidly creeping up on me, and I'm running low on time to write. With that in mind, I'll be stopping the updates on Criminally Good until that's come and gone. I'll be done with finals come the 15th of May, so expect the next chapter that Friday.**

**And with that important blurb done, here's the review responses from last chapter.**

**Greer - Glad you enjoyed, friend. As far as his family and what they'll find out, they've got a role to play in the story for sure, though how big or small has yet to be seen. As for college, it's kicking my ass and that's why I'm stopping updates. I love writing for you guys, but school comes first.**

**Josh Spicer - A fair number of reviews, friend. I appreciate them all. I have a reason written out, and we'll continue to slowly see that come to light through more dream sequences and the like as Jaune progresses. As for the JaunexNeo route, it seems highly likely that they'll be the ship in the end, though we've still got Ruby and Ren in the race. As for Jaune being or not being gay, he doesn't even know. This is why Ren's the acting dark horse.**

**Engineer - I suspect you're right, my friend. Neo must've enjoyed it enough to distract her from her stabby nature. Well done, Jaune. You did it without realizing it. As for Jaune playing his chips right, he may yet be able to. He's clearly on Qrow's radar. Now if he can stay off the police, he'll be fine, in theory. The theory is also that he could get in as a huntsman if he does well, but who knows. It might, it might not. At least now, Jaune has one of Junior's swords and now a pair of knives. It's something, right?**

**Briskpillow - Thanks man, glad you enjoy the scenes they're getting.**

**ThatOneGuy - Glad you're liking it, and we've got another man in the camp of Jaune x Neo. Camp Ruby isn't looking too good, but I know her supporters are out there, somewhere. Likely crying sad tears at all the attention Neo is getting.**

**Kharn - Maybe you're right, and maybe not. Who knows, from what we know of Jason he's still a huntsman and Roman abandoned that life, so we'll just have to wait and see, I suppose.**

**X3 - Glad you enjoyed the date. Reading it back it was my own insecurity as a writer that was acting up again thinking it was bad, so I guess I'll just start ignoring that voice and go with my gut from here on. And poor Ruby indeed. She tried and failed. Better luck next time, Red. As for the blood, I know I never said it, but he made damn sure to clear it all off as well as he could.**

**Specter - Welcome to the RWBYverse, my friend. Or at least my version of it. You are an as of yet unnamed classmate of Ruby's who saw what you pointed out in the comments. Well done. And well, I dunno, man. Are you in the ball park? Are you just reading my outline now? I'm watching you. I'll know if you read that outline. (Jokes aside, well done on getting it right)**

**Halobyrd - She does seem to be doing her best. Glad you're enjoying.**

**Coin Ward - Definitely glad to see so many people enjoyed. Also happy to see that people are excited about Jaune's past too. Awesome.**

**And that's all my reviews.**

**Sorry again for the short chapter guys, I'm working wayyyy too much and need to take a break so I can focus on school. I promise that once it's done though, I'll be back in full force.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, May 17th (Sorry for the two week wait)**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	12. Chapter 12

**That break felt like forever, at least for me.**

**Welcome back, friends, to Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 12]

_"You don't want to see the things I've seen, son." Jason Arc said as I sat across from the dinner table with him. It was only us tonight, Mom and my sisters had gone off to do something that didn't involve either of us._

_"Dad, you're a Huntsman. A hero of Vale, if not the world! I want to do that. I want to protect people, I'm tired of letting my sisters fight my battles for me!" I shouted back across the table at him._

_To his credit, he only sighed and looked up at me, his glare only slightly noticeable. "I am a Huntsman, but I'm no hero, Jaune. No more than any other Huntsman." He dug back into his dinner which was rapidly growing cold much like mine had._

_"Yes, you are! You help people, you protect villages, you kill Grimm! That makes you a hero, dad!" I countered, not seeing the point that he was trying to make._

_Dad didn't respond and took a bite of his chicken, chewing slowly as he thought on a response to me. "Tell me, Jaune. Could you live with yourself if you failed? If you didn't make it in time. If you showed up and the village was destroyed, leaving only mangled bodies behind as a damning reminder of your failure?"_

_I blinked once or twice as I thought on that. It was a risk, that was part of being a hero, I supposed. Try as you might, you can't save everyone._

_Before I could respond, however, he pressed on. "What if you couldn't save them, Jaune? If you watched them die right before your eyes as you were left powerless to do a damn thing? What then? Would you still be a hero if you just stood by and let thousands of innocents die needlessly?"_

_I swallowed nervously as I thought on his words. "I wouldn't just stand there. I would save as many as I could, damned if I die trying. If I could save even one more life it'd be worth it."_

_He laughed mirthlessly and shook his head, pushing his plate away from him. "But what of the man who stood and watched as they died? Is he still a hero?"_

_I frowned as I thought on his question. "I don't know. He watched as innocents needlessly died when he could've done something."_

_Jason nodded once as pushed himself up out of his seat and collected his plate as he made to leave._

_"Is that man a hero, dad? The one who watched those people die?" I asked, watching as he moved to the kitchen._

_He stopped in the doorway as he thought. "I don't know, son. I suppose it depends on who you ask." He said quietly as he pushed through the door and into the kitchen, leaving me with my thoughts._

[-/-]

I woke up a few hours later, at least I thought it was a few hours later. Time gets real weird when you sleep, and most of the time makes absolutely no sense. Whatever.

I shifted slightly, stretching my arms over my head, blinking the blur out of my eyes. It was pitch black outside, meaning it was still the middle of the night. There was a weight against my right side, and I glanced down to see none other than Neo fast sleep against my side. Or at the least she appeared to be fast asleep, I wouldn't put it past her to be faking it again.

At some point, the TV had been turned off, and a blanket had been thrown over the two of us, granted that didn't do much considering Neo was still mostly sitting up as she used my chest for a pillow. Only my legs were covered, and most of Neo's lower body considering she was stretched out over the couch.

I hummed quietly as I looked down at the sleeping assassin, debating on trying to wake her so that we could go to our own beds. Granted, that involved waking up Neo if she wasn't already awake and watching me. That went one of two ways, really. One, I piss her off and I get stabbed for waking her up. Two, she's been awake this whole time and… And then what?

I didn't particularly know. If she were awake and watching me, what would she do if I tried to leave? Stab me is probably the natural response, but the more I think on it that doesn't seem quite right. She's not been stabby with me recently. She's been more on the tame side I've found, which seemed odd. Huh.

I sighed and leaned back into the couch, looking up at the ceiling of the apartment, finding that the white shapes seemed to be following some kind of rather vague pattern that I couldn't place at all though found entrancing none the less.

_"I don't know, son. I suppose it depends on who you ask."_ His words still echoed in my head. _What did that mean? Who was the man we were talking about? Could it be Dad? That doesn't sound like him, though. Dad would always intervene if someone was in danger, he wouldn't just leave people to die, would he?_

_What would he think of me now? What would he say? His only son, the heir to the Arc family, nothing but a petty criminal. A thief, a liar. A killer._ I frowned as I closed my eyes once again and tried to relax as thoughts swirled through my mind. _Would he be disgusted? What about mom, and my sisters? Their brother; poor, weak, defenseless Jaune Arc now a criminal. They'd laugh. They'd call you a liar. They wouldn't understand._

I let out a slow breath through my nose as I let an arm fall across the back of the couch. _They always tried to protect me. The fought my battles for me. They only wanted to see me safe. They wouldn't believe that their innocent little brother turned to a life of crime. They'd hate me. They'd hate themselves. They'd think this was their fault._

_What about Ruby? As far as she knows I'm just another guy who wants to be a Huntsman. I lied to her. She's forging my weapon; the weapon of a killer. Would she understand? Could she understand if I explained it to her?_ I let out a quiet snort at that thought. _She wouldn't get it. She'd tell me I could've done something, anything. Anything but what I did._

Neo shifted a little in her sleep, and I had decided that she was asleep. She'd probably have confronted me by now if she weren't. I couldn't help but to chuckle quietly to myself, leave it to me to make friends with people who would only become enemies if they ever found out the truth about me. They'd hate me, each and every one of them.

I opened my eyes once more and looked back down at Neo who was peacefully asleep against my chest. She knew, and she didn't care. She understood why. I couldn't help but to smile slightly as I looked at her. Sure, this isn't what I wanted. I didn't want to become apprentice to Vale's best criminal, but it happened. Here I was, and I wasn't afraid. I wasn't ashamed. I was content.

Roman, Neo, Junior. They weren't bad people, at least not to me. They were my friends, and they would stand by me when I needed them. They didn't hate me for what I'd done, they understood. They didn't hate me for what I'd become, they helped me understand it. They were there when I needed them, they took me in and set me straight. They took a risk taking me in, teaching me, helping me, housing me. I wouldn't make them regret it.

I sighed and closed my eyes once again, feeling sleep call out to me once more. I felt as my arm fell from the back of the couch and come to rest across Neo's back. I swore I could hear a small, nearly inaudible sigh of contentment in response.

I didn't pay it any mind and let myself drift off once again.

[-/-]

I woke up again, feeling far more rested this time around, graced with the bright light of the sun beating down through the window in the room. I glanced to my side, and Neo was still laying there, though clearly awake as she played a game of some nature on her scroll.

I arched a brow at her as she continued to play her game, finding that she was ignoring me completely. Off to one side, I heard Roman chuckle. "Well, looks like Sleeping Beauty here finally woke up on her own." He teased as he took a puff off his cigar.

I rolled my eyes as I looked to him. "Mhm, good morning to you too, Roman." I said through a yawn as I stretched my arms over my head again, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

Neo looked up from her game, her dichromatic gaze meeting mine. Her eyes changed colors a few times before she looked back to her game, clearly having lost any interest in me. Off to the side I heard Roman mutter something to himself, a small smirk on his lips.

I arched a brow at him. "Something you want to say, Roman?"

"Not particularly."

I narrowed my gaze at his comment though shook my head, muttering quietly to myself. "Why do I even bother…"

Roman shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know, kid. You'd think that you'd learn eventually, but that has yet to be seen."

I shook my head at his teasing, shuffling slightly in my seat to find my scroll. It was relatively early, only being three in the afternoon. I wasn't all too sure what time I had fallen asleep last night, but I was well rested.

I took a moment to look through my messages, and there was nothing. I doubted I'd hear anything from Ruby for another day, and the others didn't seem to message much at all. At least, not me.

I pocketed my scroll once more and looked to Neo. "Mind letting me up, Neo? I'd like to take a shower."

Neo put her scroll down and frowned, tapping her lips as she looked up at me, tilting her head slightly, pointing from me to herself. I arched a brow at that. "No, Neo. You can't join me for the shower."

Neo pouted at that, though shook her head. She took her scroll in hand once again and typed out a message for me. _Not what I meant, but if that's an offer, who knows? ;) What I was asking was what's in it for me?_

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, Neo." I didn't particularly want to play her games right after I'd woken up.

She tapped her lips once more. _You could take me out for lunch?_

I sighed and nodded. "Sure, if that's what it takes for you to let me up so I can shower."

She grinned and nodded, sitting up properly so that I could get up easily. Roman just chuckled and shook his head off to the side as he puffed on his cigar, reading something off his scroll. I narrowed my eyes at him. "What's so funny, Roman?"

He looked up at me with a bemused smile on his lips. "Oh, nothing. If you don't already know, it's not nearly as amusing."

I threw my hands up in the air in defeat. "Whatever you say, Roman." I said as I made my way back to my room, grabbing a clean set of clothes and making my way to the shower.

I emerged a few minutes later, and neither Roman nor Neo had moved much since I had left, at least not that I could see. I had outfitted myself once more in a goon suit, the red sword hanging from my hip while my daggers were stashed away, strapped to my belt.

Roman looked up at me and frowned. "We really need to get you out of that suit." He commented offhandedly.

I shrugged a shoulder. "Probably. Maybe that way I'd stop causing trouble for Junior." I paused for a moment as I thought. "Though I'd say we let it go until after I've helped Junior finish off this shit show I caused."

Roman shrugged a shoulder. "I can see why. Don't want to get something flashy until after you've dealt with this. Gives you a degree of anonymity from this whole incident."

I frowned at that, coming to take a seat across the table from Roman. "That it does." I drummed my fingers against the table as I thought. "I did neglect to tell you something last night. Something that's got me a bit weary."

Roman arched a brow, setting his scroll aside. "And what's that?"

I started to chew on the inside of my cheek. "Well, it's a huntsman." Roman narrowed his eyes at that. "He's got more than a little bit of info on me. Knows of my family history, knows a bit about Crocea Mors."

Roman nodded. "And this matter why?"

I sighed. "Just… Seems odd to me, I don't know. I'm a relative nobody, just a guy with a famous sword, but this huntsman seems interested in me. He put it as protecting his niece, the girl forging Crocea Mors for me, but still. He knows more than I'm particularly comfortable with."

Roman sighed and shook his head. "And here I thought that it was an issue. Kid, you're a criminal. One with a famous sword from a line of heroes and defenders of Remnant. You're not a nobody, by merit of wielding Crocea Mors, you are somebody." He sighed and took a puff off his cigar. "Seeing as this huntsman didn't kill or arrest you, he's got nothing to warrant it. Until he makes an attempt, you've got nothing to worry about."

I continued to chew on the inside of my cheek. "More what I'm worried about is that if he's tailing me, he'll know about you and Neo."

Roman waved a dismissive hand. "Don't sweat it, kid. If he pins you to us, great, your ability to move around freely during the day is restricted. Big deal."

I hummed as I thought on his words. That was true, the worst that would happen was that I'd lost freedom of mobility, as well as my friends, but that was bound to happen eventually, right? "You've got a point, Roman." I conceded.

Roman nodded and leaned back in his seat, puffing on his cigar. "Anything else you wanted to harass me about?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so."

Roman nodded. "Good, 'cause Neo and I have somewhere to be." He looked to Neo who pouted at him, pointed to me, and then herself. Roman rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know he promised you lunch. He'll pay you back later. Boss wants to talk to us."

Neo made another series of gestures that I struggled to follow. Roman growled out. "Yes, Neo. You do have to be there. No, you can't get out of it by making an image of yourself." Neo crossed her arms and pouted at that. "Last time she caught you doing that, her anger was directed at me. I was not a fan. You are coming."

Neo mimicked a sigh and nodded, getting off the couch and grabbing her parasol. Roman looked back to me then. "We probably won't be back until late tonight. You're on your own, kid. Go harass Junior, or something. I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

I shrugged. In reality, that was likely what I'd do. Without either Roman or Neo, I didn't have much of anywhere to turn other than Junior. Maybe he'd have something for me to do. At least, something more than sitting around and doing nothing with my time.

Roman and Neo left the apartment, and I was shortly behind them. I decided that I'd take Roman's advice and make for Junior's, see what he needed.

[-/-]

Junior was not in a good way.

The man I knew well and had come to trust always stood tall and looked unaffected by the events unraveling around him. At least, that's how he was when his goons could see.

That was how I knew something was wrong.

Junior looked to be a bit injured, leaning heavily on the bar as he delivered orders to a group of goons. He looked up to me and managed a nod. "Jaune, good to see you."

I frowned as I eyed the man. "What happened to you?"

He waved a dismissive hand. "This is nothing my Aura won't handle." He said even though he looked like shit and was leaning heavily on the bar still. "So, you need something?"

I thought about pressing him on it, though knew that'd get me nowhere. If he didn't want to say, he wouldn't. "A couple things, actually."

Junior nodded. "Those are?"

"First is my family. I want to know everything there is about them, more importantly, the heroes of my family. Anyone who would've wielded Crocea Mors." Junior arched a brow, but I pressed on. "Second is that old huntsman you were talking to a couple months back. Tall, graying black hair. That guy." Junior raised his other brow at that.

"Alright, kid. I've got a few questions." Junior started, drumming his fingers against the counter top. "First is why your family? I'd imagine you know more than I do."

I sighed and shrugged a shoulder. "I probably do, at least about my direct family. I'm more interested in the heroes. The ones who wielded Crocea Mors, including my dad. I know he's a huntsman, but not much more than that, and any of my extended family I was never really told anything about. Hoping that you might be able to dig something up for me."

Junior hummed as he listened to my answer. "If you want to know about your family and the heroes, you might want to try the Vale National Library. If it's written down, it's there. Just got to know what you're looking for." I nodded, and Junior returned it. "Second one. Guy you're talking about? Qrow Branwen, professional drunkard, trouble maker, and huntsman. What do you want to know about him?"

I frowned as I started to chew on my lip. "Who he is. Who he works for. He knows a fair bit about me, and I don't know shit about him. I'd like to change that."

Junior shrugged a shoulder. "Consider it done, then. I'll have something written up for you to look over in a couple days"

I nodded in response. "Thanks."

He shrugged a shoulder and took a bottle of rum off the shelf behind him, as well as a pair of glasses, pouring a drink for the each of us. "Don't sweat it, kid. Though you are aware that I don't work for free, right?"

"Not even for friends?"

"Not when I'm your supplier of free booze."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll pay since you're not willing to work for free."

Junior shrugged and downed his glass of rum quickly, pouring himself another. "Other than that, why're you here, kid? Haven't seen you with Roman or Neo much the past few days."

I hummed noncommittally as I downed my glass of rum as well. "They're busy, apparently. Roman's off working for someone who's quite demanding with his time."

"And your psychotic little girlfriend?"

I rolled my eyes as Junior filled my glass again. "First off, she's not my girlfriend. Second, she's with Roman most the time. Heard Roman say something about her needing to be at a meeting or something like that."

Junior just chuckled quietly to himself. "And with those two gone, you come running to me to keep you entertained. I don't know if I should be hurt or amused."

I shrugged my shoulders, and started to lean against the bar top. "You're one of the best sources of entertainment when I've got nothing better to be doing. Always able to give me something to occupy my time."

Junior shook his head. "Is that all I am to you?" He asked, his tone clearly joking. "Someone to come to when you're bored out of your mind?"

"That's what friends are for, right? Occupying time that would be wasted otherwise."

"Something like that." He paused to take another drink from his glass, refilling both mine and his. "We're also here to look out for each other, kid."

I frowned but nodded at his comment, eyeing the glass of rum in my hand. "That we are." I commented in an offhanded way.

"Just keep that in mind. I'm sure the same goes for Roman and Neo both."

I sighed and finished my glass of rum and set it down on the counter, stretching my arms over my head. "I will. Thanks for the drinks, Junior."

I was met with a smile and nod as I turned to leave the Club behind for the evening.

[-/-]

Another afternoon sat waiting in a public park as the average civilian fled their workplaces in desperate need of rest and relaxation after a long day of work.

I was sat under a rather large tree, my back pressed against the trunk as I watched for the distinctive red blur that I knew denoted Ruby wherever she went.

It wasn't all that long until I saw that same distinctive red blur rushing across the park at inhuman speeds. I smiled slightly as I got to my feet, eyeing the short red reaper as she came to a skidding stop in front of me.

As per usual, strapped to her back was Crescent Rose, though today she had one new addition. Crocea Mors was strapped to her hip, though the blade looked far to long and bulky to be hers. Then again, she was the one who wielded a scythe sniper rifle hybrid weapon, so what do I know about weapon to body size proportions?

"Hi, Jaune. You weren't waiting long, right?" Ruby asked cheerfully, smiling wide in greetings.

I shrugged a shoulder. "Not that long," I paused to check my scroll. "Though you are about ten minutes late."

She huffed and crossed her arms, pouting rather adorably. "The bullhead was late getting to Patch and I got stuck in the crowd for a little while." She protested.

I chuckled and shook my head. "Whatever you say, Red." I found myself scanning the crowd, and more importantly, anyone who was standing around. "Got something for me?"

Her face almost instantly lit up as she removed Crocea Mors from her hip and held it out to me. "Here, Crocea Mors new and improved."

I took the blade from her and drew it from the sheath. The blade was slightly longer than it had been before and felt as though it weighed slightly more as well. The blade itself appeared to be polished, rather than the dull gray it had been before I sent it off. Any of the notches and nicks in the blade were also nowhere to be seen.

I looked then to the sheath, and found that she had kept the same activation method, the sheath easily folding out into a kite shield exactly the same as it had been before, just with a new cover of paint and no scratches to be seen.

I grinned as I felt the classic weapon in my hand. It wasn't the exact same, but it still felt like Crocea Mors. "Very nicely done, Red. Nicely done indeed." I said as I swung the sword in an arc through the air experimentally.

Ruby beamed at me, bouncing on her heels. "Now shift it into it's rifle form!" She all but shouted, the excitement pouring from her was palpable.

I chuckled and sheathed the sword, finding that the method for collapsing the shield was still the same.

I handed the collapsed weapon back to her. "Show me how it's done, Red."

"Alright!" She came to be standing next to me and held the sword out before the both of us. "So it's really pretty simple – you see that switch right there?" She asked, pointing out a metal switch on the handguard. "Just flip that, and watch as it changes before you."

She flipped the switch, and in her hands Crocea Mors began to whir to life, the weapon shifting parts all over the place in a way that baffled my brain and left me lost as to what exactly was happening. To my eye, it mostly looked like a mess of metal plates moving and gears showing where there definitely weren't gears before.

After a few moments, the weapon finished shifting, and it was clearly a rifle. It had the same bright white coloring with gold accenting the metal much like it did the shield. Ruby was still grinning wildly as she looked to me. "Pretty cool, right?"

I nodded as I looked at the rifle form of Crocea Mors. "Definitely."

She held it out to me, her smile threatening to split her face in two. "Here, take it. See how it feels."

I took the rifle from her, and it definitely felt odd. Not in a bad way, just new, I suppose. I rose it so that the butt of the rifle was against my shoulder, and I was looking down a simple set of iron sights. "Feels good, though I'm going to need practice before I can use it at all." I paused to think a moment. "What kind of ammunition does it need?"

"Dust rounds, duh."

I deadpanned. "What size bullet, Red."

Her cheeks flushed as she laughed awkwardly. "Right, definitely knew that was what you were asking…" She dug into one of the pockets and produced a bullet. "One like this, it's a 5.56. You'll be able to find these in just about any weapons shop loaded with most any kind of dust you'll ever need."

I nodded, finding the magazine, dropping it from the rifle. On one side was the Arc family sigil, and on the other was her own sigil, a rose. Though just like mine, it was gold. I arched a brow as I looked to her. "Any reason you put your sigil on my weapon?"

She shrugged. "Good way to mark my work, y'know? Little show of pride, that sorta deal."

I shook my head as I slipped the empty magazine back into its slot. I struggled for a moment to find the switch to collapse it back into a sheath once again. One thing that I found nice was that the shift was quick, at least back into a sheath.

I turned it back into a rifle again, only to find that it wasn't nearly as fast. That was fine, just something I'd need to be aware of. I looked back to Ruby and strapped the shield back to my hip. "It's perfect. Thanks, Red."

Ruby beamed up at me still, preening slightly under the praise. "I'm glad you like it, Jaune."

Conversation trailed off for a few minutes after that, and I found myself resting my hand on the hilt of the sword, feeling far more comfortable with it strapped to my side rather than the one Junior had given me.

"So, are we still on for hanging out this afternoon?" Ruby asked hopefully.

I shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, I've got nothing to be doing at the moment."

Ruby looked like she was about to respond, though her stomach did so for her, getting the girl to blush heavily and look away.

I only chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I take it you want something to eat?"

"Nooooooo…" She said as her stomach complained once again. "Okay, maybe." She conceded, muttering something about traitor under her breath.

I shook my head and started off through the park, looking back over my shoulder at her. "Well, I'm going to go find something to eat if you're coming."

She looked up and bolted real quick to be walking next to me again.

I hummed a tune to myself as I thought. "Anything in particular you want, Red?"

Ruby thought for a minute and then looked to me. "Cookies?"

I chuckled at that and nodded. "Cookies it is. I'll see about finding us a café so I can have coffee for myself."

She beamed up at me. "Best friend ever!" She squealed.

Conversation lulled between us as we wandered through the streets of Vale in search of a café. The one I had been to a few times before wasn't awful, but it left something to be desired in their coffee, and their emergency Yang exits.

The silence between us wasn't awkward, just companionable as I found a small shop on one of the street corners in a quiet part of town. "Take a seat, Red. I'm going to go in and grab a coffee and cookies. Want anything to drink?"

"A hot chocolate, please."

I returned a few minutes later with a bag of cookies and a hot chocolate in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Ruby was leaning back in her seat, looking up at the sky, though she looked back to me when I arrived and smiled brightly.

I handed over her order and took a seat across from her, sipping on the tall cup of straight black coffee.

"So, Jaune, what's up? Why'd you need this order rushed? I mean, not that it was any trouble, I just had to stay up a bit alter than I normally do working, but I don't mind because, who really needs sleep? I definite- "

I chuckled and cut her off. "I needed it rushed because I've got something big coming up in a few days, and I'd like to have my own equipment on hand. The boss arms us all if we need it, but I'm more comfortable with a weapon I know."

Ruby bit down on a cookie, taking well over half of it in one bite. "What's coming up? You work private security, right? So, what would you need your weapon for so desperately that it had to be rushed?" She thought for a moment. "Oh, let me guess, its some sort of super awesome mission where you're charged with protecting something really valuable, like a person of interest, or jewels or something."

I shook my head, a bemused smile on my lips. "Nothing quite so glamorous." I said, taking another sip of the coffee that I found quite enjoyable compared to other shops around. "No, we're going to be assaulting a known criminal hideout."

Ruby frowned at that. "Really? I would think that's more a job for Huntsmen of the VPD, not private security?"

_She has a point. Why would a Private Security Company do something like this?_ I shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know all the details, but we got paid by a client a decent bit of money to handle this ourselves."

Ruby frowned as she ate another cookie. "But that sounds dangerous, Jaune. Couldn't you get hurt doing something like that?"

I grinned at her. "Aw, is someone worried about me?"

Her cheeks flushed red as I leaned back in my seat and sipped my coffee. "Yes! These are criminals, they could kill you."

"I'm not helpless, Red. I've got enough training to get by just fine."

She pouted at me. "But Jaune, you could get seriously hurt… You're not even used to wielding Crocea Mors yet."

I shrugged a shoulder. "I'll be fine, Ruby. I promise." I smiled at her reassuringly. "They're nothing more than a load of two-bit thugs. I can handle that much."

Ruby relaxed slightly, though kept her silver gaze trained on me. "Just… Don't get hurt, okay? You're my friend, and I don't want to hear about you getting hurt badly on the job."

I nodded to her, leaning back in my chair as I sipped more at my coffee. "I'll do my best."

She nodded then, relaxing fully as she finished off her cookies. "So, I don't really know. What's private security like? It sounds like a really cool job to me."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Hardly. It's a lot of screwy sleep hours and jobs that've got you on edge constantly. Never know when the shop you're stationed at might get hit."

She frowned then. "Have you been at any shops that have been hit?"

I started to chew on the inside of my cheek. "Not initially, no. I've shown up to help clean up the aftermath though."

"What do you mean the aftermath…?" She asked hesitantly.

I sighed and waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing you need to worry about, Red. Just part of the job."

She frowned at me and cocked her head to the side. "It doesn't sound or look like nothing, Jaune."

I tasted blood in my mouth as I bit down on my cheek. "It's nothing, I promise."

Ruby smiled sympathetically at me. "You can tell me, even if just to get it off your chest."

"I…" _What will she think once she knows I've killed someone? Will she hate me? Will she be afraid of me?_ I took in a deep breath and let it out. "I'm fine, Ruby. Don't worry about me. I knew what I signed up for when I took this job."

She seemed to think for a while on my response, and opened her mouth to respond before closing it and nodding meekly. "Okay, but just know that I'm here for you, alright?"

I smiled and nodded, raising my cup towards her. "I'll keep that in mind."

She attempted a smile and took a drink of her hot chocolate, letting silence settle between us once again.

_You know she's going to hate us anyway when she figures out what we actually do._ One part of my mind argued. _She might, but that's a problem for future Jaune to handle._ The other pointed out. _No matter what though, she'll end up hating me for what I am. A killer, a criminal, and a liar._

The sun was falling quickly over the city when Ruby got up and brushed herself off. She smiled warmly at me. "Thanks for this, Jaune. It was fun."

I looked over and nodded, matching her smile. "It was. Thanks again for the upgrades to Crocea Mors. You did me a huge favor."

She came over to me and wrapped her arms around my chest, shoving her face into my shoulder. "Just don't get hurt on this mission you've got and we'll call it even, okay?" Her voice was muffled by my shoulder.

I smiled and wrapped an arm around her in response. "You got it, Red."

She broke away after a moment of silence and smiled at me. "I'll see you later, Jaune."

I nodded, taking another sip of my coffee. "Count on it."

She turned and wandered off down the street back towards the bullhead port, likely headed back to Patch.

I sighed and finished off my coffee and cleared off the table, dumping all the trash the two of us had created. I rested a hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors and made my way towards the weapons shop I had bought my knives from.

[-/-]

I entered the apartment to find that Roman was stood in the kitchen, making himself a sandwich. He looked up when he heard the door open. "Kid, good to see you. Get your sword back?"

I nodded and unclasped Crocea Mors from my side. "That I did, feels better than anything Junior could've given me."

Roman nodded, looking back to his sandwich. "Good for you."

I shrugged a shoulder and leaned Crocea Mors against the couch as I plopped down to take a seat in front of the TV, stretching my legs out to rest my feet on the coffee table. "Hey, Roman? Mind grabbing me the open bottle of whiskey back there?"

Roman joined me a few moments later, handing the bottle to me. He didn't say anything as he went to his usual recliner and sat back, flicking on the TV to some news station.

"Where's Neo, Roman? She's usually laying around doing nothing when you're not out on a job." I asked, taking a long swig of whiskey.

Roman shrugged. "Dunno. She's been out since this afternoon when she woke up."

I hummed as I took another long drink from the bottle in hand.

"Say, Roman? Did you have friends who weren't criminals?" I asked, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling.

"I did. Why?"

"How did they react when they found out you were a criminal? Someone who lied, cheated, and stole to get by?"

Roman didn't respond for a moment or two. "Most of them turned their backs on me. Tried to arrest me." He laughed bitterly. "Hell, even the one who stuck by me for a while stabbed me in the back. Tried to take me in."

I frowned. "So, you mean to tell me they all betrayed you?"

"Word to the wise, kid. Don't trust anyone. In this world, everybody is just out for themselves. They'll willingly stab you in the back if it meant they got ahead."

"That includes you, Neo, and Junior?"

Roman snorted. "Especially us, kid. We're criminals. We lie every day just to get even the slightest edge over those who stand in our way. If that means kicking someone to the curb, or throwing them to the wolves, it'll happen."

I took another long drink of whiskey at that. "Then why don't you get rid of me? Why doesn't Junior out you to the authorities?"

"Why indeed. Why don't I just kick you to the side and let you fend for yourself?" He asked right back.

I hummed as I thought on his question. "Because I might be useful. I might give you an edge over on someone." I drummed my fingers against the bottle as I thought. "I know Junior likes me, and because of that if you keep me around, he might be more inclined to help you."

Roman grinned. "Definitely not as stupid as you look, kid." He set his empty plate down on the coffee table. "That's why I keep you around. You give me an edge over people. You help keep me where I am. That's why Junior keeps his mouth shut. Because having friends like me goes a long way in this world."

_"Breaking news. This just in: A Bullhead has been hijacked by a team of unknown assailants. Reports claim that there are at least three passengers on board."_

I nodded, still drumming my fingers against the bottle. "So, it's all a web of how we help each other out, and give each other advantages that we otherwise wouldn't have."

He nodded at my point. "It's the closest you'll get to trust in our world."

I hummed as I thought. "And that's where you screwed up, isn't it? You trusted the people who betrayed you."

He nodded once more. "I did. I learned the lesson the hard way, damn near paid for it with being locked up for my whole life."

I hummed as I thought on that little bit of information he gave me.

Roman chuckled and shook his head as he turned his attention to the TV. "Morons."

I looked to the TV as well, and saw what Roman was talking about. In the Bullhead, there was a masked man who just shot one of his hostages and kicked them out of the door. "The hostages are more valuable alive than dead, though these amateurs don't seem to understand that." Roman commented once more.

The news feed cut from the chasing view of the stolen Bullhead back to the anchor woman. _"We have received reports from our camera team in the air that the hijackers will kill another hostage if they are followed further. We will keep you updated as the situation progresses."_

Roman hummed as he produced a cigar for himself. "Well, that's one way to get the authorities and media off your tail." He said as he lit up the cigar, taking a puff off it and sighing. "Though the Bullhead is basically shot at this point. They'd need to get rid of it if they wanted any chance of getting away clean."

I hummed quietly and took another swig from my bottle. "Then why hijack it in the first place? There's surely a better way to get a Bullhead without hijacking one in broad daylight."

He nodded at that, eyeing the TV still. "There are plenty of better ways that leave you untraceable until it's too late for the authorities to do anything."

I frowned and continued to think. "Then maybe it's the hostages they want? Someone important on that flight, maybe?"

Roman shrugged. "Doubt it. If there were, it'd already be on the news."

I shook my head. "Doesn't make any sense to me."

"Doesn't particularly matter. They'll get caught and dealt with in a matter of hours and it'll blow over." Roman said, taking another puff off his cigar.

I drained the last of the whiskey in the bottle and sighed, getting to my feet. "Well, whatever. I'm going to go get some sleep."

Roman grinned a bit. "Want me to send Neo in when she gets back?"

I rolled my eyes. "As if she'd actually do it."

Roman shook his head, puffing on his cigar. "You really are fuckin' oblivious, kid."

I shrugged my shoulders and made towards my room. "If you say so, Roman." I paused for a moment. "And no, don't send her in. Just let me sleep."

Roman didn't respond as I made my way back into my room and closed the door behind me.

I stripped off todays clothes and crawled into bed, relaxing into the cool sheets contrast against the heavy warmth I felt in my stomach.

Sleep took it's time in taking me. I must've been laying in bed for an hour or more, I couldn't really tell.

Right as I felt the pull of slumber start to drag me in, my scroll started to ring on the floor.

I groaned and got up to see that it was a call from Ruby.

I sighed and answered the call, yawning loudly. "What's up, Red?"

"Greetings, Mr. Arc." My blood ran cold at the sound of his voice.

I licked my lips, suddenly feeling far more awake than I had moments earlier. "What do you want?"

"Forgive me, I've been rude. Please, my name is Alexander Baxton, though you can call me Mr. Baxton." His voice was calm and measured as he spoke.

"Fine, Alex, what the fuck do you want?" I growled out.

A gunshot rang out on the other side of the call. "You would do well to call me Mr. Baxton, Mr. Arc. I am afraid that I am running dangerously low on captives." He paused a moment to let that sink in. "As for what I want, well, I would like my rightful property back."

"And why should I give you Crocea Mors?"

"Well, unless I'm mistaken, you want this girl to live, do you not?" He asked, turning on the front facing camera to show Ruby tied to a chair, gagged, and unconscious.

I grit my teeth. "I swear to god, if you hurt her…"

"Relax, Mr. Arc. I have no interest in hurting your friend here, only in getting what is rightfully mine." He paused to turn off the camera. "How about a trade? Crocea Mors for the girl. Sounds fair, no?"

I bit my lower lip and rolled it between my teeth. _On one hand, I have the chance to save her, just at the cost of my sword. On the other, she has no value to me anymore. She upgraded the weapon. Roman would call this an easy decision and leave her to her fate._

"I am waiting, Mr. Arc." Alex said from his side of the call.

I let out a sigh. "When and where?"

"I just knew you'd see reason, Mr. Arc. We'll be in touch soon." He said, cutting off the call immediately after.

I growled lowly and stared at the scroll in my hand. _This is my fault._ "God fucking damnit…"

* * *

**Dun-dun-dun. I'm pretty sure we all knew something like this was coming, but still bad things. Very bad.**

**Other than that, hello my lovely friends, how are we all doing? I don't know that you missed me and my writing for you all, but I missed doing it. It felt really strange not sitting down to write Criminally Good for two weeks, even though I've not been writing it all that long. On the upshot, though, I've got nothing to do all summer but sit here and write for you lovely people. And work at ungodly hours in the morning, but that's fine. I don't need sleep anyway.**

**But yeah, my ramblings aside I've got reviews to respond to, so here we go.**

**The Ancient Irish Viking - Glad you're enjoying the story, I absolutely love writing it. You are right, there's not much gay in RWBY, like at all. I won't say anything on the final ship that will sail, but the possibility is there. And keep in mind that I plan on writing a lot more in future, so even if your RenxJaune doesn't happen here, it may in a story later on down the line.**

**rockie - Glad you're enjoying it, man.**

**Guest (1) - Glad you like it**

**Guest (2) - Happy you're enjoying what I've got.**

**Ways - Alright man, holy mother of god. You are awesome for reviewing every chapter, but if I respond to them all I will easily double the word count for this chapter, so I'm only gonna respond to the one from last chapter. I did read them all, though. I promise. Yeah, I really enjoyed seeing Jaune have a hit on him, and, well, we see where it led us. Poor Ruby. As for Qrow, he is probably one of my favorites as well. Like, he's just awesome and fun, and just... I dunno, a great character, all in all. As for our little crime family setup we've got, it's great and cute. I'm a sucker for cute stuff.**

**JaviGrace - I will be delicate, for a time. Until the final decision gets made in the story, and those on the losing ships will cry sad tears for their sunken ship and destroyed feelings. I guarantee nothing, though if you're curious, read on. Your questions will be answered in time.**

**Witch King - While that is an interesting idea, I have no idea how well Neo would react to that. I sense some jealous stabbing if that were to happen, but who knows?**

**Guest (3) - Thank you, my friend. I hope your finals went well too. And I'm always happy to update.**

**Engineer - They want his head and sword indeed. Just an interesting way to get it, using Ruby against him. While Jaune did ask, it wasn't shown mostly because 1) I don't know squat about unarmed fighting. I can write it, but writing Roman teaching? Beyond my ability. 2) I felt that writing the spars as much as I do is just slow and painful, more than anything. Maybe that's just me, I dunno. Jaune did pursue some knowledge by way of Junior who just redirected him to the library. Fun. As for a story, yeah, he's gonna need a good one. As far as Qrow and Jaune's interaction go, that was dangerous, yeah. But Jaune was let off the hook, though not without Jaune getting more than a little spooked. Of course, it wouldn't be Jaune if he wasn't completely oblivious to every signal a girl gave him to do _something_ rather than just sit there.**

**Greer - We have another man in favor of JaunexNeo, good deal. Glad you're continuing to enjoy my friend.**

**2AM Guest - Well, my friend. It made sense when I glanced over it that morning, or at least enough sense that I knew what you were saying. And you're right, Silent Knight is well ahead by almost every metric, with Lancaster not far behind, and then Golden Lotus walking the ship race because they're not in a rush. All I'll say is that they all still have a chance.**

**Specter - Well... Not completely accurate, but you had the general idea, sorta. So, can confirm that you took the false notes. Excellent. As for if Jaune gets a mask, who knows? Roman and Neo both don't have them, but maybe he'll take one up like my bois in the Payday crew.**

**Josh Spicer - Oz knows. **_Oz knows._** Welp, if ever there was a time for Jaune to panic, it was now. Even though he has no idea how bad that is. And well, here's Ruby's trouble. Chekhov's Gun much? But yeah, you were right, friend.**

**X3 - It has sorta come out that way. Huh, I didn't even realize I was doing that. Well, the more you know. As for Neo turning Jaune into a proper house husband, it'll work as long as Jaune doesn't put it together. Maybe. Neo can only hope. And he is still in bouncer getup, though not for much longer. Just a few more chapters. As for the poor shmucks who kidnapped Ruby, well, it's not exactly pretty. Or it won't be once Jaune and co show up.**

**EiNyx - Well, your wish will soon be granted. See, in the first draft of this story I skipped over all of this and went into the next arc with Jaune just being better, but when it got around to it I thought this would be fun to write out, and here we are. Jaune is being led around to basically everything, but he's gotta learn. I thought showing that happening would be better for readers than just saying 'Yeah, he's competent now after a few month time skip.' Sorry if you think it's too slow, but things will be changing soon.**

**ShadowLeaper - Glad you like it man. And thank you, finals were hell, but I'm glad they're done. Now I can relax and write for fun again.**

**Exiled Darkness - I know you are, friend. But there was some Lancaster in here for you to enjoy. I agree that Lancaster is best ship, but here we are with SilentKnight leading the pack in terms of story space controlled. That may yet change, who knows other than me, your all knowing author?**

**And done.**

**Like I said, to Ways who reviewed every chapter, I appreciate that dude, but if I responded to it all, I'd be recapping the whole story and doubling this word count in responses, so forgive me for only responding to one.**

**Oh, and just because I'm curious, I am going to put up a poll on my profile relating to Criminally Good and the ships it contains. I just want to see how many of you fall into each camp or are ambivalent to the whole shipping wars deal at all.**

**Again, thank you all for the support this story has gotten. It's my first story published, and I'm glad you all are enjoying it this much. I never expected this kind of reception to a brand new author with a kinda out there story idea for the fandom's norms. I've got my Wolf sigil up for the cover art, though if any of you are artists and want to make something for me to use as cover art, I would welcome it with open arms.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, May 20th (We're back on schedule boys.)**

**Till Next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A Monday Evening, and another chapter of Criminally Good for you all**

**Enjoy**

* * *

[Chapter 13]

I ground my teeth together as I sat on my bed, still staring down at my scroll. _He wants Crocea Mors in exchange for Ruby's life. He made it seem so simple, just an easy trade to ensure she lives._ I flopped back onto my bed and ran my fingers through my hair. _"Don't trust anyone." That's what Roman said. What reason would I have to trust that he'd even hand Ruby over once I gave him the sword?_

I ground my teeth together as I stared up at the ceiling, trying to keep pace with my thoughts. _No, I can't trust him. His word doesn't mean a thing._ I frowned at that thought. _Knowing I can't trust him, what's to say he won't just attempt an ambush once I show up? Force me into a fight I can't win, and just take Crocea Mors off me?_

I sighed and closed my eyes. _He'll only be able to set something like that up if I come in alone and unprepared. If I bring allies with me, he might think twice and the trade will go as planned…. Or, depending on the support I bring with me, I could force him into releasing Ruby, and letting me keep Crocea Mors._ It wasn't a great plan. Hell, it was hardly a good one, but it was a plan. A plan I'd need help for.

_Who can I turn to for help? Considering who I'm dealing with, I'll bet Junior and the twins might be willing to help. Neo might be bribable with promises of more food. Roman, well, I don't know. He might, or he might not._

_Then there's another problem. Even if I get a number of people to come help me, we'll be fighting on their territory. They can rig the field as much as they want, and we'll be powerless to do a damned thing. Even if we have time to scout it, they'll recognize any of us. _I opened my eyes once more to stare up at the white pattern engraved on the ceiling.

I sighed and pushed myself up off my bed and threw on whatever set of clothes were on the floor. I strapped Crocea Mors securely to my side and the knives found their sheathes behind my back.

I pushed out of my room and found Roman in the kitchen, the master criminal looked back to me and arched a brow, blowing a puff of smoke out his nose. "What's up, blondie?"

I glanced over to him. "Nothing. Just gonna go get a drink. I'll be back in a few hours."

Roman frowned but waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever." He said as he turned his attention back to the fridge.

I shrugged a shoulder and made my way out of the apartment, out into the chilled night air of Vale. I jammed my hands into my pockets and made my way on a rather familiar path to Junior's.

I pushed my way into the Club, and all was relatively normal. At least, as normal as normal could be for the circumstances. I found Junior sat in a booth eating a late dinner by the looks of things.

I ignored him for a moment and went to the bar, found a bottle of rum, and a pair of glasses.

I took a seat across from Junior and set a glass down in front of him. The information broker arched a brow at me. "What's up, Jaune?"

I sighed as I poured us both ample shots. "Just a bit of a development is all."

Junior downed his shot and eyed me for a moment. "That being?"

I downed my own shot and started chewing on the inside of my cheek as I poured more for both of us. "Does the name Alexander Baxton mean anything to you?"

Junior nodded. "I'd be shit at my job if it didn't. That's the leader of Area 37, drug smuggler turned minor kingpin. Figures himself to be one of the best in the business." He paused a moment to take another bite of his grilled chicken. "He's not wrong either. Even though his operation is small, he practically owns the drug trade in Vale."

I nodded. "Right, well, he's obviously the one who wants Crocea Mors." I pounded back another shot and sighed. "He's… Making a play to get it from me."

"That being?"

"Well, I just got it upgraded, right? A friend of mine did it for me, she's handy with mechashift and was happy to do so, so I thought why not?" I laughed bitterly at that, shaking my head as I poured another shot. "Baxton thought it a good idea to take her hostage. He's been in contact with me and wants to trade Crocea Mors for her freedom."

Junior nodded slowly, rubbing his chin as he leaned back in his seat, frowning. "Alright, so your friend is being held hostage, and to get her back you've got to hand over your sword."

I nodded once, downing another shot easily. "That's what he said. I'd be stupid to believe that he's going to just trade her for the sword. That's not all they want, remember? They want my head, too." Junior nodded once, downing his second shot. "With that in mind, I don't really want to walk into them alone, which is where you come in."

"I'm willing to bet that Baxton will be there, along with a few of his other advisors if he's feeling paranoid." Junior nodded again, letting me continue. "If I'm right in how this is probably going to unfold, I can trust that they'll just try and kill me to take the sword. If I have you and the twins at my back, we might be able to turn the tables on them."

Junior hummed as he thought. "Not a bad plan, but he'll demand you come alone. If he sees anyone with you, I doubt he'll hesitate to kill off your friend."

I nodded along with him, drumming my fingers against the table as I thought. "We need a way to keep you all out of sight, then." I downed another shot as I continued to think. "Without knowing ahead of time where we're going, that'll be hard."

The doors to the Club opened, and in waltzed Neo as though she owned the place. She spotted Junior and I seated at a booth and came to join us rather quickly.

I glanced to Junior who nodded. I directed my attention back to Neo then, who had just stolen my shot glass and had poured one for herself. "Hey, Neo?" I asked, getting her to turn her attention to me. "I've got a favor to ask."

She narrowed her eyes at me as she looked me over and then nodded.

"Well, see, my friend has kinda been taken prisoner by Junior's rival gang. They want to trade her for Crocea Mors, and I'm not exactly keen on that happening." Neo nodded along, pouring herself another shot. "Your semblance lets you create images, or something like that, right? Makes it so that people see things that aren't there?"

Neo shrugged and then nodded. Close enough.

I bit down on my lower lip. "Think you can cover a group of people in motion for a few minutes?"

She just rolled her eyes and nodded.

"So, about that favor… Mind doing that while I go and meet with this guy to get my friend back?" I asked hopefully. She had been a little softer with me over the past couple weeks, so I hoped that she might be willing to just go along with it.

Neo tapped her lips before pointing to me, then her, and tilting her head.

I sighed and took the shot glass from her and poured another for myself. "Yes, I'll do something for you." She rose her brows at that. "No, not anything. Just something within reason."

She pouted and crossed her arms.

"Please, Neo? I really need your help here."

She sighed and nodded.

I grinned. "Great."

"What's this I hear about needing Neo's help?" Roman called out, strolling up to the booth and looking over the three of us. "Are we planning something?" He asked with a grin on his lips.

I nodded. "We are… Wait, why are you here, Roman?"

Roman took a draw off his cigar and rubbed his chin. "Well, let's see. My apprentice went to bed, and then not thirty minutes later comes out, looking moody and stressed to go drinking." Junior snickered at that. "It's not hard to put the dots together that something was on your nerves. I came to find out what."

I shrugged my shoulders and downed another shot. "The what is a friend of mine has been taken hostage. They want my sword in exchange for her life."

Roman grinned. "Kinky."

I rolled my eyes. "Not… You know what, never mind." I muttered before continuing. "There's no way in hell they'll actually do the trade honestly, so I'm expecting to be ambushed. That's where Neo and Junior come in. If Neo can use her semblance to cloak my backup, we can get the jump on them."

Roman nodded, puffing on his cigar. "Alright, this plan works if Neo helps you. What if it happens if I need her whatever night this comes down on? Got a backup?"

I ground my teeth together. "No, I don't."

"What about if something breaks her semblance, and your friends are revealed early? What if they just decide to ambush you before you even get there?" Roman continued to prod.

I growled and slammed my hands down on the table. "I don't know, Roman. I don't fucking know. Is that what you wanted to hear me say? That I don't have a clue what I'm doing? Because you're right. I don't have a goddamned clue what to do. All I know is that there's an innocent girl that _will_ die if I don't do something."

Roman looked unphased by my sudden outburst, almost as though that was exactly what he was expecting to happen. "And you're willing to risk yourself, and your friends, to try and help her?"

I nodded. "Without a doubt. She didn't deserve to get pulled into this." I looked back towards Junior for a moment. "Even then, if all goes well, this might end this whole war I started. Cut the head off the snake, and the whole thing dies, right?"

Roman took another puff off his cigar. "Not only doing it for her, either. Helping to end Junior's war to boot." He grinned. "Count me in, kid. Can't have this whole thing going south just because I wasn't there."

Three sets of eyes rolled. Roman was good at what he did, but he wouldn't be the ultimate defining figure in the fight. At least, I doubted he would. He was skilled, but not supreme over all of us.

I nodded, kicking back another shot. "Good. We've got a team and a plan." I looked between my three most trusted friends.

I still thought it strange sometimes. These criminals – no, these people, were those I felt I could trust the most. Vale's most wanted criminal, a shady information broker and kingpin, and a short psychotic assassin. This definitely wasn't what I had pictured when I left Ansel to come to Vale, to become a hero, but it wasn't so bad, either.

"Junior? Any chance we could get the twins on board with this, too? Never hurts to have more capable fighters." Roman asked as I leaned back in my seat.

Junior nodded. "Shouldn't be an issue. If I tell them what's up, they'll jump at the chance."

Neo used her elbow to nudge my side as Roman and Junior fell into a conversation that I wasn't paying much attention to. I looked to her and tilted my head slightly in question.

She didn't type anything out, just spent a moment staring me down, her eyes shifting colors a few times along the way. I met her gaze easily, smiling slightly. "Thanks, Neo."

She shook her head, eyes settling back to their natural color. I looked away, back up at the ceiling. "Still, I appreciate your willingness to help."

Neo rested her head lightly on my shoulder and sighed quietly. I closed my eyes and felt the specter of sleep close in on me. _We're coming, Ruby. Just hold on._

[-/-]

_The late summer heat was bearing down on the small town of Ansel, and I was outside running laps around the house. My sisters were outside playing a game of some nature in the front yard while Mom was sat on the porch, listening to some old music from her younger years as she read a book._

_Dad was out on a hunt as was the case for the vast majority of the time that I can recall. Mom always said that "Someone has to earn the money in the house, and someone has to look after you all."_

_When I was younger, it bothered me that Dad was gone so much because I never got to see him. In place of that, Mom always told us stories about his hunts and missions while he was working as a Huntsman. He did all kinds of cool stuff, like protecting villages, guarding people of interest, clearing out Grimm infestations and that sort of thing._

_Hearing that as a kid made me want to do the same thing, because what little boy doesn't want to be like their Dad? As I grew older, though, Dad never would train me. He never thought I was ready; never thought I could do it._

_So, I decided to train. I decided I would push so that he might see me as ready, that I could do it. That I had what it took to become a huntsman like him. That I could save people and protect those I love._

_That's why I was out running laps around the house._

_My lungs burned from the exertion though I pressed on. I had to get better, faster, stronger. It was the only way Dad would realize that I can do what he does, that I can become a Huntsman._

_The Arc family home wasn't all that close to town – in fact, we were more a cottage out in the middle of nowhere in comparison to town. The only building we could see was the bell tower that just barely stuck out over the encroaching forest._

_As I rounded the back side of the house, I heard a low, guttural growl. I slowed and stopped where I was, looking out to the forest where I heard the growl come from. Wolves don't usually come this close to the house, nor any wildlife other than the occasional deer in the front yard._

_I squinted as I tried to see if I could find the offending creature in the forest._

_The first thing I saw were blood red eyes._

_Grimm eyes._

_I felt my heart leap into my throat. A Grimm? This close to town? That's practically unheard of._

_The Grimm growled lowly again and emerged into the light revealing a Beowolf staring me down._

_I didn't have much time to think, but that didn't matter. I did what any rational person would – I ran._

_It was almost like I hadn't been running laps for the last half hour as I took off in a sprint towards the front of the house._

_"Grimm!" I shouted out to my sisters as I rounded the corner to the front yard._

_My family looked at me strangely, like I had grown a second head or something like that. Though I didn't stop running, I made for the steps of the house. Mom had looked up from her book right as the Beowolf rounded the corner and eyed all my sisters down._

_"Everyone, inside! Hurry!" Mom called out, throwing the door open as my sisters scrambled up the yard towards the door to the house._

_The Grimm prowled slowly towards the house, seemingly well aware that its prey was cornered now._

_Mom ushered me into the house and slammed the door closed behind her, turning the deadbolt in some hope that it'd hold off the Beowolf for a moment longer. My sisters and I all looked to her and she took a shaky breath. "Okay, into the basement. That'll be the safest place for us while we wait for help to come."_

_We all followed along with her as she led us into the basement. As I made it through the door, I heard our front door splinter as the Beowolf made its way into the house._

_Mom ushered us all down the stairs and barred the door with a large wooden board that might help to keep the Grimm from us._

_We all huddled down in the basement, each and every one of us terrified of what was going to happen if the door broke. Mom was doing her best to calm us all down and keep us quiet, though she did her best to be strong for us, the fear in her voice was evident._

_We all went deathly still and silent as we heard a loud **thump** against the door to the basement. There was a moment of pause before another came, this one with the sound of slowly splintering wood._

_One of my sisters whimpered quietly, while Mom did her best to still keep us calm. "It's okay, we're gonna be okay…" She kept murmuring over and over again, almost as though she wasn't just trying to convince us but herself, too._

_Another loud thump, and more of the door started to splinter from the impact. I swallowed nervously. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I wanted to be a hero, and heroes protect those who can't protect themselves._

_I slipped away from the group and found an old metal baseball bat from when one of my older sisters had played. "Jaune? What are you doing?" Mom managed to ask, squinting at me in the dark._

_"Protecting you all." I said as the door at the top of the stairs shattered._

_The silhouette of the Beowolf looked down at the huddle of women behind me._

_"Jaune, no. You'll die." Joanne said quietly._

_I let out a shaky breath and hefted the bat. "Probably, but you guys might not."_

_There was a sharp cry as I ran up the stairs screaming like a mad man, tears streaming down my cheeks._

_I caught the Beowolf's snout with the bat making it stumble backwards, giving me just enough room to get out into the house. "Come on! Come and get me!" I shouted as I backed up._

_The Beowolf growled and turned its blood red eyes on me and charged._

_I couldn't have gotten out of the way even if I'd seen it coming from twice that distance._

_It brought one of its massive paws to bear against me, sending me flying backwards. I slammed into a wall with a sickening crack. Everything hurt, and I knew there were likely more than a few broken bones involved._

_Tears were still streaming down my face as I pulled myself up to my feet. Every breath hurt more than anything I'd ever experienced in my life; the house was spinning around me, and I wanted to puke right then and there._

_It charged me once more._

_If I didn't have broken bones before, I surely did now._

_I was sprawled out on my back now, blood pouring from a few gashes that had come somewhere along the way. I had lost the bat in the second impact as well._

_I could only groan as the low growling of the Beowolf came ever closer._

_I tried to pull myself backwards, but that wasn't happening. I was in too much pain, and every movement I made hurt like hell._

_"Julia?! Jaune?! Girls?!" I heard my Dad shout from somewhere in the distance that I couldn't place._

_The Beowolf came to be standing over me, its massive teeth bared as it growled down at me, breath hot and putrid._

_Though, before it did anything to me, I heard another shout, this one sounding a lot like a battle cry._

_Then, the Beowolf was off of me._

_I heard the very brief sounds of combat, and then it was quiet._

_I heard a sword clatter to the ground, and then saw Dad above me, tears in his eyes as he looked down at me. "What were you thinking…?"_

_I smiled weakly, feeling as consciousness started slipping away from me. "I had to protect…" I said with a wince as pain raced through me. "Had to protect Mom and sisters… Had to be a… hero…"_

_I heard him laugh bitterly at that as my eyes closed, he cradled my head in his lap. "You goddamn fool, Jaune. You goddamn fool."_

_I was aware he said more after that, though nothing registered for me as I fell into unconsciousness._

[-/-]

I awoke sometime later, and I was still in the Club. Still in the same booth I had clocked out in. Neo, Roman, and Junior were all nowhere to be seen around me, so I figured I had been out for a while.

I groaned as my head was pounding like a rock concert was playing in the confines of my skull. I rubbed my eyes and got to my feet, finding that I was slightly dizzy and wanted to be sick. I stabilized myself on my feet thanks to the help of the table I had been sitting at.

There were still goons milling about, relaxing what little they could in the time they had off. I flagged one down who was walking past. "Hey, buddy, mind answering a couple questions?"

He shrugged and looked me over. "Sure."

"Great. First, what time is it?"

"Round about eleven in the morning."

I nodded. So, I've been out all night. "Second, where's Junior?"

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "In his office, doing whatever it is he does back there."

I nodded once again. "Great, thanks for your help, buddy."

He shrugged and walked off once again, back to doing whatever it was he had to do.

I groaned and stumbled my way over to Junior's office, opening the door to find Junior was leaning back in his seat, feet kicked up on his desk, arms crossed over his chest, and fast asleep.

I frowned; I probably shouldn't wake him. He needs the sleep just as much as I do, if not more. He's the one managing this war from our side. I looked over to his desk and found a file on it, one with the name Qrow Branwen written on it.

The file wasn't thin, either. There was a lot to know about the old Huntsman it seemed.

I grabbed the file off his desk and tucked it away under my arm, leaving his office once again.

Still feeling like crap, I made my way to a local café. If there was one thing I'd ever admit to being addicted to, it's coffee. Or maybe it's the caffeine that I'm addicted to. Either way, it's always a good way to feeling better.

This place was small, out of the way, and completely empty.

I sat down at one of the tables with my cup of coffee and opened the file.

There wasn't anything insidious that came pouring out immediately, if anything it was pretty basic.

The story started with his application to Beacon and becoming a Huntsman. Member of Team STRQ, would eventually graduate in the top of his class. He went to work soon thereafter for the Headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin.

His work isn't well detailed, though he became something of a pet to the Headmaster when it came to particular missions.

It was noted that eventually his team broke up after his sister, Raven Branwen, abandoned her husband and team. Further on down the line, Summer Rose, the leader of STRQ would be killed in the line of duty.

Since then, it has been noted that Qrow has been taking less dangerous missions, going so far as to open up contacts in the criminal underground such as Junior. In that time as well, he has taken heavily to drinking, likely thanks to his team shattering.

I sighed and flipped through the file more, finding that a lot of it was detailing what was known of his life in recent years. Significant changes in work, extended periods of absence where nobody knows where he's gone. Most of it, I found, wasn't all that interesting or helpful.

I closed up the file and finished off my coffee. It was helpful in some ways, I at least know better who I'm dealing with, but not anything useful to give me an edge over on him.

As I was about to get up from my seat to leave, I saw a vaguely familiar face.

It was a girl with light skin, long red hair tied back in a pony tail, and bright green eyes.

I frowned as I thought. I knew I'd met her before, but exactly where, and what her name was eluded me. I had a feeling it started with a P, though wasn't completely sure on that.

As she walked past, I smiled at her, and got only a wooden one back. She made her way to the counter, and the man working behind it got excited, for some reason. The girl only sighed, and let him take a picture of her before she was allowed to order her coffee.

As she walked back once again, I spoke up. "Hey, I know we've met before, but for the life of me I don't remember your name."

The girl stopped and looked me over, a smile ghosting over her lips briefly. "Pyrrha, and you're Jaune, right?"

I grinned, nodding towards the seat across from me. "Damn, now I feel stupid. You remembered my name, but I forgot yours." I said, scratching the back of my head.

She seemed to consider for a moment before taking a seat across from me. "You know, you should give Ren a call before Nora gets the wrong idea and comes for your knees."

I chuckled, shaking my head. I had completely forgotten about that small tidbit of information regarding Ren and I. I hummed noncommittally. "Maybe when my schedule clears up."

She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "Not the answer they'll want to hear, but if you want, I'll relay it to them?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Nah, it's fine. I'm sure I can manage." I rolled my shoulders back as I thought for a moment. "So, what's your story? Where's your team?"

She tilted her head at that. "You… Don't know who I am?" She asked incredulously.

I blinked and stared at her. "No, not really. Should I?"

She giggled, the first genuine smile I've seen crossing her lips. "Not really, no."

I arched a brow at that, though shrugged my shoulders. "Alright, if you say so."

"I don't really know where to start. I guess I should say that I'm from Mistral, though I came here to study. My parents were furious, but I had made my decision, and already been accepted into Beacon, so there wasn't much they could do about it."

She paused to take another sip of her coffee. "I wanted to be a Huntress since I was a little girl, and so I pursued it with the help of my parents. I got really good, easily becoming top of my class in combat school. Then, when I got the chance, I came here. I wanted to experience something new – something different."

I nodded along with her story as she spoke, letting her continue. "That's really all there is to it. I'm here now, and the rest is just unfolding around me, I guess."

I hummed, drumming my fingers against the table. "What about your team? Why're you out here without them?"

Her expression visibly soured at that. "Well… We're not exactly on the best terms, I guess you could say…"

I tilted my head to the side slightly. "You all have an argument, or something?"

She shook her head. "No, not exactly… We just didn't mesh well together, I guess? I don't know if that makes any sense."

"It does, don't worry." I said, leaning back in my seat. "Have you tried talking to them? Ren at the least seems levelheaded and willing to listen if you just approach him."

She shook her head again. "It's not that easy… They all put me on a pedestal. Even our professors do it. They treat me like I'm special, but that's exactly what I came to Vale to get away from! I don't want to be special. I want to be just like everyone else."

I frowned as I looked at her, tilting my head to the side slightly. "Then tell them that. Show your friends that you don't want to be on that pedestal, or that you don't belong there. Show them you're no different than they are. You're just, well, you."

"You make it sound so easy. Like it's just something I have to do differently, and suddenly things will change." She looked up to me, her gaze sad.

I shook my head. "Things won't just suddenly change. You've got to make them change. If you don't do something about it, it won't happen."

She smiled weakly. "You sound like you know what's going on and how to deal with it. Better than I do, at least."

I couldn't help but to laugh at that. "That. That's hilarious. Me? Knowing what's going on?" I laughed again, shaking my head. "I don't know a damn thing about what's happening any more than you do."

She laughed at that too, shaking her head. "Maybe not, but you still see things better than I do."

I rolled my eyes. "Not better, just differently. It's always easier to give advice from an outside perspective."

She smiled again and nodded. "I guess you're right, Jaune."

"Happy to help." I said, getting up from my seat.

"You headed out?" Pyrrha asked, looking up at me.

I nodded. "That I am. I've got a few things to do today."

"Thanks. For talking to me, I mean." She said from her seat.

I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Don't sweat it, Pyrrha. Like my Mom always said, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

She giggled quietly at that as I turned and left the café.

I chuckled quietly to myself and shook my head. "As if I know anything about what's happening…" I murmured quietly as I set off towards the Vale National Library.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

**And there's that.**

**I got some people asking me in DMs when I'd have Pyrrha show up, and it was always planned. Just a matter of when. Same goes for Weiss and Blake, they'll show up. It'll just take a while.**

**Also, yeah, chapter is kinda short because my muse wasn't happy to cooperate with me for this weekend, but you will get to see what it was focused on come Wednesday, so keep an eye out for that.**

**That said, onto the reviews, woo!**

**Engineer - Poor Jaune indeed. Guy has had a rough time of it, and all the things to keep track of. It's just a bad time for him, and then the whole Ruby situation. It's amazing he hasn't had a mental break yet with all that stress. And right you are, he probably did need a heart to heart, but it doesn't seem like his dad is all that willing to supply one. Well, Junior did say he'd have something for Jaune. Just not what all it was, or how useful it'd be. Then there's Jaune's impending doom via Yang and Qrow. More Qrow since he's probably the most likely to make the connection, but that has yet to be seen.**

**Ancient Irish Viking - He made you angry? Good. He was supposed to. As for as why that's there? You know, I don't know myself. I didn't catch it in my reread of the chapter before I posted it.**

**Greer - That he does, and it seems Jaune isn't willing to leave her to just die. Exams did go well, and I'm just happy to be on break.**

**Valerious Lake - It's an army. Kinda, sorta. Just a really scary one full of named characters we care about. Mostly. (Sorry Malachites.)**

**Specter - You'll never find them. I've hidden them somewhere so ingenious that only I would think to look there. Glad you're enjoying, man.**

**Kharn - This. This right here, if I didn't already have this story planned, this would be the kind of thing that could completely derail me and change the story. Fun idea, but not quite the route Jaune went, and even if he did I'm not sure that he's that level of bad ass. Yet.**

**Exiled Darkness - Well, it didn't happen this chapter. It's set up for what's to come, and then some other backstory, and Jaune talking to Pyrrha a little bit. I won't say anything more about your prediction, but we will see, my friend. We will see.**

**Josh Spicer - Right you are, but he's of the mind that "I had it stolen, so therefore it is mine." In reality, he's no Arc (that we're aware of) so, that sword definitely doesn't belong to him. I'm sure you and almost every other reader wants him to burn in the firey pits of Mount Doom. Wait, no. Wrong franchise. Ignore me.**

**And with that, we are done with reviews on the last chapter.**

**Still, I'm glad to be back and to be writing again, even if my muse seems to have ADD at the moment, jumping from project to project. Though I will have something for you all to check out Wednesday, so be sure to check it out if you're interested.**

**Other than that, there's the poll. And I'm surprised, we've got more support for Lancaster than Silent Knight. I definitely thought it'd be the other way around when I posted the poll, but that goes to show what I know, and how passionate people are about our lovely Lancaster. The poll will remain up for a few more days, so if you've got input head over there.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, May 24th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	14. Chapter 14

**And here we are on Friday afternoon with Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 14]

He said soon. I thought that would've meant a day, maybe two if he was pushing it.

I wasn't expecting a week of waiting and stressing and worrying about this.

Neo and Roman both helped to keep me busy with training and spars. I was still woefully outclassed by both of them, but it was a step in the right direction that I could hold my own for a few minutes, going so far as to be able to land a lucky hit or two against them.

The new Crocea Mors felt off for a while, the blade being weighted just slightly differently, the length being just a bit longer than I was used to. It took time, but sooner rather than later I got used to it and the sword felt just as natural to use as it had before Ruby's upgrades.

Then there was the rifle.

Gods, for as much as I wanted to be competent with that weapon, I just wasn't. Junior was doing his best to teach me how to shoot straight, but it was painfully slow going. Some times I'd be able to hit my target at ten meters, others I'd miss completely when I was sure that I'd not changed a thing about how I was shooting.

Regardless, that didn't matter. Not right now, at least.

The call from Baxton had come earlier today, giving me only a place and a time to be there. He had issued the threat that I come alone, or she dies.

Even though I had been expecting it, knew that he'd make a threat like that, I still felt my heart jump into my throat. Whatever happened now was in my hands.

And here I was – alone in the middle of a warehouse district that was squarely in Area 37's territory. I had yet to see any signs of their goons, but I knew better than to think that they'd not be watching me.

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly as I waited for Baxton to show himself. I was sweating, nervous, on edge.

I knew that my team was here with me, even if I couldn't see them. Neo had used her semblance to an impressive degree to keep everyone cloaked. Not only did Junior bring the Twins with him, but he had brought a few of his more trusted goons along as well. Namely among them was Not-Jerry, and even though I screwed with him a lot, that helped to calm my nerves. He was a good guy, just going from day to day and making the best of it.

Across the desolate stretch of cracked and shattered concrete, a familiar face stepped into the dull light of the shattered moon above.

Alexander Baxton, the same slimy old fuck who thought himself the king, and damn near untouchable when it came to combat. He, however, had not come alone. Off to his right was a woman of average height with bronzed skin and long black hair done up in a braid. She was wielding a rather wicked looking barbed spear.

On his left was a kid who couldn't have been much older than I was. He was a fair bit shorter than me, and had skin about as light as mine. His hair was buzzed recently by the looks of it, and he had some nature of firearm in his hands.

"It is so good to see you again, Mr. Arc. I was under the impression that you had been avoiding me all this time." Baxton said smugly as he stopped about twenty feet away from me. He looked completely at ease with his hands clasped behind his back.

I pursed my lips and tightened the grip on Crocea Mors. "Where is she? Where's Ruby?"

He just chuckled at my questioning. "Straight to business, are we? Well, that's no fun, but if you insist." He whistled loudly, and two goons came out from around the same corner he had, dragging Ruby with them.

She was awake, though gagged and bound still. It looked as though she had been roughed up in her time of captivity. Her gaze tracked to me, and my breath caught in my throat. She looked afraid. Terrified, even.

I managed to smile weakly at her. "Hey, Red. Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of here." I called out, shifting my attention back to Baxton then, who was smirking as he watched the two of us.

"There's the girl – still in good condition, too. You have no idea the trouble I had to go through to keep my boys away from her."

I grit my teeth and glared at him.

The man only chuckled and shook his head. "Now that you've seen she's alive and well, we can make this trade and go our separate ways. How about it, Mr. Arc?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _Alright, Jaune. This is it._ I opened my eyes and nodded, unclasping Crocea Mors from my hip.

Baxton grinned. "Very good." He glanced over to one of the goons who had helped to drag Ruby out. "Go, retrieve Crocea Mors from him."

The goon nodded and made his way towards me as I walked forward into the middle of the concrete flat that was about to become a warzone.

I approached the goon who was looking at me nervously, and I grinned at him. "You afraid to die, bud?" I asked quietly.

The goon went white as a sheet at my question. He made to shift backwards, but he wasn't nearly fast enough.

I ripped Crocea Mors from its sheath, slashing the poor goon across the chest, sending him down to the ground in a heap.

I heard Baxton laugh as I deployed the shield. I looked up to see that he was now standing alone. _Not good._ "There's what I was expecting." He drew his own sword and cracked his neck. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

Behind me, like shattering glass, there was a small squad of people. Junior, the Twins, Not-Jerry, Neo, Roman, and a few other goons I didn't know the names of all emerged, wielding their weapons in hand.

"Well, now isn't this a surprise? You brought some friends." Baxton's gaze tracked to Junior. "You even brought me Junior on a silver platter. How thoughtful."

I growled and charged at Baxton, though was rather quickly intercepted by the woman with the spear. Her lips had twisted into a psychotic grin, her eyes screamed of bloodlust. No words were exchanged between us as she took a minute to look me over, and I her.

Behind me, shots and the sounds of battle started to echo out into the night, though I didn't have a chance to look back at what was happening.

The woman charged at me like a speeding bullet and unleashed a flurry of blows that I only just barely managed to block. _She's fast, just like Neo._ I noted, slamming my shield forward to knock the tip of her spear away from me. I brought my sword down in an overhead arc towards her shoulder, though the woman deftly dodged backwards.

She didn't give me even a moment to breathe before she was on me again, shoving the tip of her spear into my face, getting me to dodge back and away from the attack she had levied against me. Right as I got to my feet, again she made a swipe at me, this time for my legs.

Seeing that she had left her upper body unguarded in the process, I let my Aura tank the blow, feeling the pain radiate from the point of impact sharply. I pressed on, making a cut for her chest that landed pretty hard.

The woman flew back and glared daggers at me, though she kept herself ready for anything I might have up my sleeve.

I took my chance to take the offensive against her, rushing at her with my shield in front of me. I made an attempt to bash her, or to at least get her spear out of the way, but she quite simply dodged out of the way. I skidded to a stop and turned to face her right as she was leaping towards me.

I brought my sword up and caught the haft of her spear with it, deflecting the blow off to the side. I bashed her in the chest, catching her jaw as well, with my shield. That had her stumble, and I pressed the advantage.

As long as I kept in close quarters with her, the spear becomes useless. If she can't make use of the range it provides, it becomes a weakness. With that in mind, I brought my sword around and dug it into her right shoulder.

The woman cried out in pain and tried to disengage from me, though I kept step with her every time she tried to get away. I drove my shield up into her face once again, bashing her and letting her stumble backwards.

Before she got a chance to recover, I was on her again. I kicked her in the chest, sending her down onto her back. She struggled to try and get back to her feet, though I took my sword and drove it down into her right shoulder, shattering her Aura after the second stab.

I brought it down again and it cut into her flesh, the woman howled loudly in pain, tears forming in her eyes. I stepped down on the wrist of the hand that was still holding her spear, kicking it away once she eventually released the weapon.

I drew Crocea Mors from her shoulder then and watched as she lay there, bleeding and in immense pain. I didn't even hesitate to drive my heel into her right hand, putting as much pressure as I could until I heard something break, the woman wailing once again.

Content that she'd not be rejoining the fight any time soon, I turned to face the battle that was raging behind me.

The Twins were back to back, fighting off a rather impressive swarm of goons all at once. Junior was engaged with Baxton, seeming to be on roughly even ground with his opponent. Roman was fighting off a different group of goons, while Neo was dancing around what I presumed was another lieutenant for Baxton. Not-Jerry and his team of goons were crowded together, several firing into packs of other goons while Not-Jerry and a few others held them off in the front.

I scanned the area then for Ruby. That's what we were here for. That's why I was here.

I eventually spotted the girl being dragged off by the guy I had seen with Baxton at the start. To her credit, Ruby wasn't making his life any easier.

I growled lowly and charged at the kid dragging Ruby. As soon as he saw me charging at him, he dropped the girl and drew his weapon once again.

He took a solid stance and before I even saw him take a second to aim, he fired off three shots at me. Luckily for me, they impacted my shield and didn't chunk my Aura to nothing in seconds flat, but I wasn't so sure I'd be that lucky again.

I wasn't.

He fired another two rounds, one impacting my right shoulder, radiating a fire like pain across my body. The second missed, if only because I stumbled slightly at the sudden pain.

Despite the pain I grit my teeth and charged forward once again, making contact with him.

I slashed at him, making the guy dodge back away from me. He seemed to be panicking now, not knowing what to do with me as he tried to bring his rifle up to fire at me again.

I closed the distance once more and slammed my shield into the underside of the gun, pushing it up and away from his chest. I brought my blade down over his chest then, landing a blow and sending him stumbling backwards breathing heavily.

I was breathing heavily myself, my head feeling fuzzy thanks to the pain, but I pressed on, charging the guy again. He didn't even take time to aim, firing off his rifle in an attempt to slow me down. The bullet crashed harmlessly into the concrete behind me.

This time, I knocked the rifle out of his hands completely, sending the weapon skittering across the concrete.

The guy tried to turn and run, though I was right on his heels.

I slashed low, around the back of his knees. He toppled to the ground shortly after that, though spun to be on his back, facing me. His eyes were wide, terrified. He thought I was going to kill him like I had that goon at the start of the fight.

Still breathing heavily, I delivered a hard kick to his crotch, getting him to yelp loudly and stop scooting backwards. I pressed my foot to his chest then, putting weight down on it. I glared down at him, a certain anger in my eyes that must've made him regret every decision he'd ever made to get here.

I knocked him unconscious, ensuring that he too wouldn't be rejoining the fight any time soon.

I looked back to my friends, and things had definitely worsened.

Despite all of those we had brought with us being respectable fighters in their own rights, Baxton didn't seem to have a care in the world for how many of his men he lost in this battle.

The swarms of hostile goons had only grown, making me wonder how he hadn't already taken over Vale with this kind of manpower.

The Twins were slowly starting to see themselves facing more than just the two of them could handle, each taking a hit here or there. Roman too, seemed to be focusing more on the crowd around him than he had at the start of the fight. Neo was still engaged in relatively even combat with her opponent, both of them moving faster than should be possible.

Then there was Junior.

Junior who was on even ground with Baxton before appeared to be having a rough time of it now. A few lucky shots from Baxton had put Junior in a bad way, and in desperate need of help.

Seeing as I was the only one not occupied, the responsibility was left to me.

I didn't even spare a glance for Ruby as I leapt over her and charged at Junior and Baxton.

As I neared, Baxton glanced over his shoulder and grinned, vanishing from view.

Remembering all too well from my previous fight with him, I spun and lashed out. I hit only air.

Now behind me, Junior shouted out in pain, and once I turned, I saw Baxton behind him still with a wide grin on his lips.

Junior swung his bat back, and landed a solid blow on Baxton, sending the older lithe man skidding backwards.

Baxton didn't even hesitate to launch into a charge at us then. Just before he would've made contact with me, he vanished, and again I spun to face my rear. I caught his blade with my shield. I growled lowly and knocked the blade away, slashing for his chest.

I hit nothing but air again, and he appeared a few meters away. "So, you do learn. Consider me pleasantly surprised."

I glanced to Junior and kept close to him. "Get rid of his sight. Without it he won't be teleporting." I called over to my friend. The broad barkeep grunted his response.

I laid eyes on Baxton once again and charged at him. The man vanished before I made impact, as I had expected him to.

He made an attack on Junior which landed, though not without getting shot by Roman's cane. I glanced over to him to see that Neo had helped him clean up his goons – her own opponent now laying in a pool of blood, clutching at his neck.

Before I even made a move to charge, Baxton pulled his vanishing act again and went for Roman. He was met rather quickly by Neo, who had seen him fight just the same as I had. She caught Baxton's blade in the air with her parasol, glaring at the older man.

She delivered a solid kick to his knee then, sending the man down onto one knee as he pulled his semblance out again.

He appeared a short distance away from us and started backing up, eyeing the crew I had brought along with me.

Roman didn't hesitate to fire his cane several times at the man, with only two of the five fired rounds landing. It was enough, though.

Baxton's Aura shattered. Despite that though, he was still moving.

He crouched down and dragged Ruby up to his height, holding his sword at her neck.

"Well, Mr. Arc, I can say I underestimated you. Well done." Baxton said through heavy breaths. "But I do think that it's time I bid you farewell." He said as he continued to slowly back up. Ruby was frozen, afraid.

I bit my lower lip as I thought. _No, this can't all be for nothing. If he gets away now, who knows what he'll do to Ruby._ I looked down at Crocea Mors and hesitated for a moment. _It's the best chance we've got._

I sheathed Crocea Mors and collapsed the shield, shifting the weapon into its rifle configuration. _I've got one shot at this. If I miss… He'll probably kill her._ I swallowed nervously and brought the weapon up to my shoulder.

Thankfully, Junior and Roman were ahead of me, taking Baxton's attention as I made this shot in the dark. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _You can do this, Jaune. You have to._

I took aim down the sights and lined up my shot, keeping it leveled right at his head. I took in another deep breath and let it out slowly. _It's do or die._

I squeezed the trigger.

The gunshot rang out in the otherwise quiet night, echoing against the walls of old warehouses around us.

I heard something collapse to the ground, and I opened my eyes.

Across the battlefield, lying in a heap of limbs and a growing pool of blood was none other than Alexander Baxton.

I let out a sigh I didn't know I'd been holding, dropping Crocea Mors to the ground.

Junior smiled as he looked back at me, nodding. "Nice shot, kid."

I nodded, not responding as I made my way across the field to the now dead Baxton who had collapsed, falling forward on top of Ruby.

I pulled his body off her, tossing it to the side. I drew one of the knives that I had on me and cut Ruby's bonds free.

She sat up and looked at me, her eyes wide and hands trembling. "J-J-J-Jaune…?" She asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

I smiled slightly and nodded. "In the flesh."

Ruby scooted away from me ever so slightly, her eyes still wide as she stared at me.

_She's afraid of me._ Pain shot through me at that as she continued to skitter backwards slowly. "It's okay, Ruby. You're safe now." I said quietly, trying to calm her down.

She started shaking her head, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Another lance of pain shot through me. I opened my mouth to say something, though closed it a moment later, realizing that I didn't know what to say.

I pursed my lips as I sat crouched in front of Ruby who was absolutely terrified.

Junior came up behind me and rested a hand on my shoulder gently. Sirens could be heard in the distance, making their way closer to us. "We've gotta go, kid."

I nodded at his words, rising to my feet. "What about Ruby?" I asked, looking back to Junior.

He shrugged. "Up to you. This was your rescue mission. We can take her with us, or she can wait for the police."

I nodded and looked back to the red reaper who was quietly crying, holding herself in a tight ball. I crouched down again so I wouldn't be towering over her. "Hey, Red? Look at me, please." I asked gently, getting her to peek up from where she had buried her face in her knees. "We're leaving. You can come with us, or wait for the police to arrive. It's your decision."

Ruby sat there for a time as she thought, tears still streaming down her face.

Ever so slowly she got to her feet, though didn't say anything.

I nodded and stood back up. "Alright, if you're coming, let's go."

I turned back to the group of friends I had, looking them over. I had a lot of explaining to do.

[-/-]

We arrived back at the Club, each of us exhausted and tired. Roman and Neo both took off before we got there, likely heading back to the apartment to cool down and relax.

I didn't have the choice.

Not-Jerry guided Ruby out of the main floor of the Club and to one of the side rooms so she could take a shower and feel a little better. He'd also promised her food when she finished.

Junior and I were sat at the bar, both of us tired and drinking already.

I glanced to the older man. "So, now what? Baxton is dead. This whole war business done with?"

Junior nodded. "Yeah, it's done. The news will report that he's dead come tomorrow, and that'll be the signature on the dotted line for the Red Axe coming out on top. From there, I've got to get everything in line and take over their operations as well as their territory."

I tossed back a shot. "Sounds like you'll be having fun these next few weeks." I joked.

Junior rolled his eyes. "Definitely. Gotta love doing paperwork and all."

I arched a brow. "Paperwork? For a criminal organization?"

Junior shrugged. "Gotta keep organized somehow. It's a pain, but I'll be damned if it doesn't work."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Whatever you say."

Junior tossed back his own shot and sighed. "What're you going to do about your friend?"

I pursed my lips at his question. "If I'm honest? I don't know." I shook my head and poured another shot. "We can't keep her here. Qrow will find out sooner or later. But if we let her go, she knows everything. We're criminals, even if we saved her life. We killed a lot of people, and I don't think she's going to let that slide."

Junior looked over towards the back of the Club and got up from his seat. "Well, figure it out quick. She's headed your way." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Good luck, Jaune."

I nodded to him, tossing back my fresh shot as he left. I looked down at myself and found that my goon suit was covered in blood and torn in more than a few places. I had a noticeable couple of bullet holes in the suit as well.

I glanced over to her as she took a seat on the stool next to me.

Ruby was missing any of her usual attire as she had been when we found her, instead dressed in a blood red tank top and torn jeans. _I suppose one of the twins leant those to her._ She wasn't looking at me, her gaze focused intently on the bar top before her.

I poured another shot for myself and pursed my lips as I thought. "I… imagine you've got a lot of questions." I said, glancing over to her.

She nodded minutely.

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Ask away, then. I'll answer what I can."

She mumbled something so quietly that I couldn't hear her.

"Say again? I can't hear you."

"Why?" Her voice came out as a quiet murmur, just barely audible to me.

I tossed back another shot. "Why what?"

She was quiet for a moment before she answered. "Why… everything? Why did this happen?"

I sighed and bit my lower lip. "That's…" I poured another shot for myself, staring at the amber liquid in the glass. "To make it short? It was all for Crocea Mors. That guy – Baxton, he wanted it. He knew that you and I were close, and used you to get to me."

She nodded, fidgeting slightly in her seat. "You're not private security at all, are you?"

I chuckled quietly and shook my head. "Can't say that I am."

"You had Torchwick helping you."

"I did."

She turned to look at me. "Why, Jaune? Why lie? Why turn to… to… to this?" Her eyes had tears once more, and I wanted to reach out to comfort her, but had a distinct feeling she'd just jerk away from me.

I sighed and tossed back another shot as I thought. "Because I had to." I set the glass down and shook my head. "When I came to Vale, I wanted to go to Beacon. I didn't have what it took – no Aura, no training. Nothing. Roman found me when I was at a damn low point in my life and helped me. He taught me how to fight, unlocked my Aura, acted as one of the few friends I had here in Vale."

"This was the life that was presented to me – either this or slink back home in defeat to be a nobody for the rest of my life. I wanted to help people, I wanted to protect people I cared about. That's why I wanted to become a Huntsman." I let out a sigh as I thought. "I'm still doing that, protecting people I mean."

I gestured out to the Club and the goons celebrating the victory they had just won. "These people would've gone to die against others if I hadn't stepped in and done what I did. I put you in danger, and I'm sorry for that. You're an innocent, you didn't deserve to get caught up in this shit." I ran my fingers through my matted hair, shaking my head. "But when it came down to it? I came to protect you."

She didn't respond, or look at me for that matter. She kept looking at the bar top in thought.

I poured myself another shot and downed it just as quickly. "So, you've figured it out. I live a life on the other side of the tracks, so to speak. What're you going to do now that you know?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." She looked back to me. "You're not the Jaune I thought I knew, but you still stepped in and risked everything to get me out of there." She managed a weak smile. "I won't tell anyone… Just…" She shook her head again. "Don't do anything to make me wish I had, okay?"

I nodded, smiling slightly in return. "Thanks, Red." I relaxed slightly and leaned against the bar top. "In a couple days we'll have your scythe and your clothes back, I think. At least, Junior will."

She nodded. "Thanks."

I shrugged, pouring another shot for myself. "You'll probably want to be getting home soon, right?"

"Yeah… Dad is probably worried sick."

I nodded again. "We'll drop you off at a police station and they can take you home, okay?"

"Works for me." She responded quietly.

Not-Jerry and friends came back from his mission to go get pizza for the whole Club. That is to say that they had about thirty boxes of pizza to go around for sixtyish people.

Ruby was quick to rush and get in line for said pizza, being one of the first to get her food and come back. She looked to me quizzically. "Not gonna eat?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Not hungry."

She didn't press me on it, and we sat in relative silence, listening to the cheering and partying going on around us as the goons finally felt like a weight was lifted off their shoulders.

Ruby and I left after she had finished her food and made for the nearest police station.

The walk, much like her dinner, was completed in silence. I was lost in thought as we wound our way through the streets and back alleys I had come to know like second nature.

Once we were a block from the station, I stopped, turning to Ruby. "It's a block that way. Just walk in the door, and tell them your name. They'll take care of it from there."

The red reaper nodded as she looked back to me.

I took it as her knowing what I meant, I turned on a heel and started walking back towards the apartment I called home.

I was stopped, however, by a pair of small arms wrapping around my torso. I looked back to see Ruby hugging me. "Thanks for saving me, Jaune." She murmured quietly.

I chuckled and ruffled her hair, getting her to let go of me. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat, Little Red."

She nodded and turned to leave for the police station. I sighed and jammed my hands into my pockets and made towards the apartment. I needed a shower and some sleep.

Once I got back home, all was quiet. Nobody was out in the main room watching TV, nothing. I shrugged a shoulder at that and went to take a shower.

Feeling infinitely better after a warm shower and not being covered in blood, I made for my room.

As I was about to settle in to get some sleep, I heard a quiet tapping on the window. I frowned, but ignored it.

It persisted, and grew more frequent and louder.

I sighed and went to the window, seeing a small bird perched just outside, practically glaring at me. I never knew birds could glare, but this one definitely can. "Shoo, go away." I said, waving it off, hoping that I could get some sleep before Neo woke me up that morning.

The bird shook its head in response and pecked at the glass again, still glaring at me.

I sighed. "Just my luck… I get a bird here that doesn't know the meaning of fuck off." I grumbled quietly as I opened the window.

The small bird hopped in, and then on to my floor.

The next thing will be burned into my mind for as long as I live.

I watched as this small crow that had been glaring at me from my window _transformed_ into a human, and not just any human – it was none other than Qrow Branwen. The older huntsman was stood in the middle of my room, arms crossed as he glared at me.

See, I'd like to think that I've grown numb to insane things that shouldn't be possible, but this is on a new level. Someone's topped Neo.

I opened my mouth to shout for both Neo and Roman as I reached back for Crocea Mors.

Qrow raised a hand and shook his head. "Don't. I'm not here to hurt, or arrest you or your housemates here."

I didn't believe him. We were some of the most notorious criminals in Vale, it didn't make sense for him not to be after us. "Why should I trust you?"

"If I were going to, I wouldn't have knocked on your window to be let in." He said, digging out a flask and draining the last of it.

I licked my lips and nodded. He had a point. Sorta.

"So, what do you want exactly?" I asked, still on edge and ready to bolt.

He glanced to me. "Vodka, if you have any." He paused then. "Also, to thank you."

I arched a brow at that. "Thank me? For what?"

Qrow rolled his eyes. "You're all as dumb as a box of rocks, I swear…" He grumbled to himself. "For saving my niece."

I blinked a few times. _He knew about that? How? It only just happened. I doubt if she's even at the Bullhead docks yet._ I frowned as I thought more on it. _Wait. He was a crow just a minute ago… _And suddenly, the pieces clicked together in my head. He had been watching. "I wasn't about to let her be left to the wolves."

Qrow nodded. "Which is good. Means I've got no reason to hate your guts and hunt you down. Yet." He glared at me. "Just keep in mind that I'm not the only one watching you, kid."

I was about to ask what he meant, though he had already shifted back into his bird form and taken off through my window, leaving me alone and baffled as to what exactly had happened.

I shook my head and closed the window, blinking a few times. _What does he mean that he's not the only one watching me? Is he referring to Area 37? But they're dealt with… So, who does he mean?_

I sighed and got into bed, brushing it off. It was nothing to worry about. Hopefully.

[-/-]

_It was late one fall night when Jason Arc came home from a mission._

_I had stayed up late waiting for him because I wanted to hear from him how it went._

_However, he wasn't alone when he got home that night._

_I was sat at the top of the stairs and struggled as hard as I could to hear the conversation going on downstairs, curious as to who Dad could be talking to._

_"I'm done. I won't do it anymore." The voice I recognized to be Dad stated._

_"Don't be like that, Jason. We did what we had to, and you know it." The unfamiliar voice responded._

_"… I never agreed to… but you dragged me in anyway. I'm done." Dad said again, sounding frustrated._

_At this point they were talking more quietly, so I could only make out parts of their conversation despite how hard I tried._

_"You said it yourself… Are you going back on your word now? After as much as we've done?"_

_"… Damnit it's all over the news… You said we'd do this quietly."_

_"And we did."_

_I frowned at that. They would do what quietly? I didn't think it mattered much if you tried to use stealth on a Grimm, they could sense your negativity, or something like that. Maybe they were dealing with bandits or something?_

_"Get out." Dad said, loud enough for me to hear without straining._

_"I said get out!" He shouted now. I heard the front door open and close, and whoever he had been talking to had left._

_I saw that as a good a time as any to go downstairs and talk to Dad._

_I found Jason Arc slumped into one of the chairs in our living room, a bottle of something foul smelling in hand. "Hey, Dad." I said, getting him to look over to me._

_"Jaune, what are you doing up this late? You've got school tomorrow." He said, drinking from the foul-smelling bottle._

_"I wanted to ask how your mission went? Mom always tells me, but I wanna hear it from you."_

_He just chuckled and shook his head. "Everything went tits up, son. But, despite that I'm here and I'm fine." He paused to take another swig from his bottle. "Now, go to bed. You're going to be tired for school."_

_"But Dad…" I whined, hoping I'd get more than just what he'd told me._

_"None of that. Go to bed, Jaune." He said sternly, making it clear that I didn't have a choice in the matter and pushing him would end poorly from experience._

_I sighed and nodded. "Good night." I said, turning to go back up the stairs. I didn't even hear him respond as I retreated to my room, still wondering what happened on his mission._

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**We've saved dear Ruby who seems to be taking this all rather well, surprising Jaune a load. Then, of course, we have Qrow showing up randomly and leaving just as randomly. Interesting.**

**That said, on to the reviews.**

**Greer - Well, hope was confirmed. Sorta. She was roughed up a bit in her week of captivity, and probably traumatized in more than a few ways that we didn't see, but physically she's fine, so that's a win... right?**

**TheoMidnight - Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to read through all in one go and I hope to see you again in future chapters and review sections, if you are so inclined.**

**ItCanOnlyGetWorse - The poll is still up on my profile, and will be until the 31st of May, so any votes put in will still be good and valid. That said, the poll was more a curiosity for me wanting to see what people were shipping because I love me some ship wars.**

**Moonryu - If you say so chief, I'm just amazed we've gotten this much traction at all.**

**TheRaazgriz - Glad you're enjoying, my friend. And you are perfectly welcome to enjoy whichever of the two ships you support more, and I agree to some degree that the hero and the villain might be pretty fun to see, though who knows, other than me that is? As for Jaune becoming similar to John Wick, that may yet be in the cards, just depends on development.**

**Josh Spicer - Right you are, friend. Once I said something, Silent Knight came up in force while Lancaster was just behind.**

**Engineer - Jaune isn't stupid. I never saw him that way, not even when I first watched the show. He's a doofus, but not an idiot. I definitely don't think an idiot would be able to grow and learn as quickly as he did in the show. As for him saying within reason for Neo, there was a lot of reasoning going that if I didn't put that there, Neo would push it a little too far to be considered a T rating. And I'm not about to change the rating halfway through because that's just mean, in my opinion. The information on Qrow will probably come into play, just depends on how much of a problem Jaune sees the old huntsman as. Oh god, Jaune Arc, team therapist. That sounds like a comedy fic that needs to be written. And Jaune really will do what it takes when the chips are down and it's do or die. Glad you're still enjoying my friend.**

**Crash Spectacular - And you know what, friend, you are plenty welcome to ship Jaune and Ren all you like. I welcome the support for Golden Lotus because it's one of the ships I don't see represented much.**

**Pharos - More Ren soon™. More of everyone other than the main cast + Ruby soon. I've been focused on them as I clean up the last of this arc. Glad you're enjoying, and thanks for the support.**

**X3 - Ren's race just gets harder and harder as more contestants show up. Poor Ren. And right you are, Roman does benefit here which is why he's helping. Makes his life easier.**

**Javi - It's on my profile, should be right at the top if I did it right. And as far as how Lancaster works or doesn't work, you've got a point. Rushing it would kinda hurt not just her but the whole story. That's why I'm keeping everything kinda slow, even the main arcs as well as the romance side. As for a harem, that's never been in the cards really. I'm not a fan of harems or poly ship, but if it's been well written they can be enjoyable.**

**Imperial Germany - _Awkward coughing._ What? No, I have no idea what you're on about. _More awkward coughing._**

**And that's all my reviews for the last chapter, thank you all friends.**

**For those who are curious, Lancaster has pulled ahead of Silent Knight in terms of support. And since Monday, Golden Lotus has doubled it's support. It's a start at least, you can do it Golden Lotus. I have faith. That aside, I'm surprised it's this close at all. I know I said when I started I expected Silent Knight to win, but holy hell Lancaster has a lot of loyal fans. Nice to see.**

**I swear, you all are fantastic. Every time I come back and see how much support this story gets it makes me smile to see all the favorites and follows continue to grow like this. Thanks for all the support, guys. It keeps me writing and writing on schedule to boot.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, May 17th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	15. Chapter 15

**And here we are on Monday, May 17th... Wait a minute. The 17th was a Friday? And two weeks ago? Damn you Ikea time machine. I was lied to.**

**That said, here's your next chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 15]

Now, time passed quickly.

I don't know why exactly that was, maybe it was the stress and worry that there was something immense looming around the corner just waiting to come crashing down over my head and overwhelm me was gone.

It had been almost a month, and I felt at ease.

Roman and Neo both had taken to pushing my training to a new level, taking out whatever stops and holds they had before. It was brutal, to say the least. Often, I would find myself winded, bruised and completely shattered after a spar with either of them. I relished in it.

They were going all out, at least so it seemed, and I was making progress. I could land a hit on Neo every once in a while, I could pull Roman into a trap that gave me a fighting chance. It wasn't much, but it was a step up from struggling along against the two completely outclassed.

Even Junior's training and teaching me how to shoot was going well, to the point that I could hit most targets with reasonable accuracy from a decent range.

I laid back in my bed, hands resting comfortably behind my head as I stared up blankly at the ceiling. Today was one of the very few days that I was left to rest and let my Aura recuperate from the constant beatings.

There was a knock at my door before Roman tossed it open, leaning against the frame as he eyed me. "Hey, kid." He said, taking a puff off his cigar.

I sat up and eyed him in return. "What's up?" Generally, Roman left me to my own devices if there wasn't something he wanted to get done, so this was somewhat out of the ordinary.

He took a moment before responding, still eyeing me over. "We're going shopping."

I rose my brows at that. "And we're doing this why, exactly?"

Roman pointed to me, and the gutted parts of the goon suit I had taken to for my everyday wear. "You still look like a wannabe Grimm. Gotta dress to impress."

I didn't bother to argue with him, shrugging my shoulders as I got to my feet. "Right, if you say so."

"That's the spirit, now get moving. We're burning valuable time." He said over his shoulder as he turned to leave my room again.

Having lived with Roman for a few months now, I knew he was a bit out there from time to time, but this just seemed completely random. In the month or so since Junior annexed Area 37's territory, he hadn't said a thing or even seemed to show a care about the old getup I was in. It just seemed out of place to me.

I met Roman out in the living room a few minutes later, the master thief puffing on his cigar as he leaned on his cane slightly. "Alright, kid. Let's get a move on." He said making for the door.

I glanced around, finding that Neo was nowhere to be seen in the apartment either. I didn't bother to think too hard on that detail, following Roman out the door and into the darkened city of Vale.

The two of us traveled in relative quiet, the only sounds being those of sirens echoing in the distance and our steps as we wound our way through the back alleys to wherever I was being led.

After ten minutes worth of walking, Roman led me to the back of some place that dealt in dress clothes for men. The shop had looked closed to me, though that didn't seem to even phase the master criminal. He tapped his cane on the back entrance in a rapid pattern.

A moment later, the lock was turned, and the door opened. Inside was a short, portly man. He didn't have any hair on his head, though made up for that with a thick bushy brown beard. He grinned as he eyed Roman. "Good to see you, Roman. It's been too long."

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Roman asked offhandedly, taking a puff off his cigar.

The man took a step back from the door and ushered us inside, closing and locking the door behind us.

I looked around, finding that we had been dumped into a back room for the store, likely where the employees got a brief reprieve from the customers if I had to guess.

"So, what can I do for you? Here to get something patched or replaced?" He asked of Roman.

Roman just chuckled and shook his head. "Not this time, Keen." He jerked a thumb back towards me. "We're here to get something fitting for the kid."

The guy who had let us in – Keen, I guess his name was, lit up like a kid on Christmas day. He took a few measured steps over towards me, eyeing me over. "Is that so?" He asked to nobody in particular. "Well, you've come to the right place. I'll get you put together in no time."

Roman took a seat at the small table in the room, nodding with an amused smile on his lips. "You always do."

After about two hours of getting fitted and pawing through a vast array of suits that had been brought before me by Keenan here, I found a getup that I particularly liked.

It was relatively simple: a navy-blue dress shirt paired with a dark gray vest and pants to match the color. Keenan had tried time and time again to get me to go for a jacket or coat like what Roman had, but I was adamant.

Roman had made a push for some nature of tie if I wouldn't be taking a jacket, but I refused. It was simple, sure, but that was fine by me. I didn't need to be the most fashionable, it just had to be effective. If it happened to look good in the process, then I was fine by that, too.

"At least it's a step up from that old crap Junior had you in." Roman commented, his arms crossed over his chest.

I shrugged, looking at myself in the standing mirror. It looked good, no doubt about it. Better than the black dress shirt and faded jeans I had taken to in the past few weeks.

Keenan nodded from beside Roman. "Yes, that looks quite good on you, though I still think it could use a jacket."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Not happening."

He sighed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Your loss then."

I rolled my eyes and stepped down off the raised platform I had been pushed onto so I could look at the suit. It was a comfortable fit as well. While Junior had been more than generous in giving me suits, none of them were exactly good fits. They were only vaguely right, as they were for all of the goons.

Roman looked over to the portly man then. "Alright, how much is this running me?"

Keen tapped his index finger over his lips as he thought. "Call it five hundred lien and we'll be even."

Roman nodded, pulling out a stack of Lien cards that I was all too sure had more money than I had ever seen in my life and paid the man. "Pleasure as always doing business with you, Keen."

Keen nodded, leading us back to the door we had entered through. "Same goes for you, Roman. Remember, if you ever need anything, be sure to give me a call." He said, opening the door for us.

Roman nodded and waved over his shoulder as he led me back out into the night of Vale.

I hummed quietly as I let my hand rest gently on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "How'd you know him?" I asked, glancing over to the master criminal.

"Met him before I became the man you see before you today. Back then I was just any other customer in his shop getting a suit made." He took a drag off his cigar, puffing it out into the night sky. "Eventually he saw yours truly on the news once I made my public debut and we got in contact. He keeps his mouth shut about me; I take whatever business I have relating to clothes to him."

I nodded as I followed along behind Roman. "Was that all we had to do tonight?"

Roman just chuckled. "No, kid. We've got a few more stops."

And so, on through the night we trundled.

It was weird, really.

Other than getting me outfitted in a suit, Roman had taken me to a barber's shop where a shady looking guy with two full sleeves of ink made quick work of the long blond hair I had been growing out ever since I left home.

Once it was finished, I was given a moment to look at it, and despite what his appearance had made me think, it looked pretty good. He kept the shape relatively the same, though cut it down from where it was hanging over my eyes to a manageable length, styled with some nature of gel to keep it in a decent shape regardless of what I did.

Roman then led me to a blacksmith's shop. The smith had taken to fitting me much like the guy who got me a suit had, telling us to come back in a few days and he'd have everything done. Before we left though, the smith did give me a brand-new looking flask, courtesy of Roman.

Roman had also insisted that I give him Crocea Mors, claiming that the old color scheme of white and gold no longer fit with gray and blue.

However reluctant I was, I handed over my blade to the smith so that he could get the colors changed.

Leaving the blacksmith's now, armed with only the small knives I had bought and kept for times like these when I didn't have Crocea Mors, I felt slightly off.

Something was going on with Roman. This didn't seem quite normal, getting me outfitted and cleaned up like this all of a sudden? He had talked about me getting out of the goon suit at some point, but for him to suddenly take the initiative and get it done now? Something was off.

Roman was leading me through town into an area I didn't quite recognize as well. It was the old industrial section of Vale, long since abandoned for reasons unknown to me.

"So, where are we headed, Roman?" I asked, glancing around the area.

Roman sighed and stopped, turning to face me. "Was starting to wonder when you'd ask that question." He said, more or less to himself, puffing on his cigar. "We, my friend, are going to a meeting with some _very_ dangerous people."

I rose my brows at that. He'd never taken me on a meeting like this, generally wanting to keep Neo with him instead. "Got it, we're meeting with dangerous people. Why?"

He rolled his cigar between his teeth for a moment before responding. "Let's just say I've got a boss who's more than a little… paranoid." I nodded, letting him continue on with whatever it was he had to tell me. "She's made it clear that she wants to meet you, since you're tied to me."

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "That doesn't make any sense. I'm a relative nobody; sure, I killed a minor crime boss, but that's it. Why would she want to meet me?"

"Like I said, kid. She's paranoid. You're a close associate of mine – she wants to size you up. See if you're a threat to her." Roman explained, making me frown.

"What? How, it's not like I'd be a threat to her at all?"

Roman sighed and gripped the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Listen, I'll answer your questions _after_ we meet with her. For now, just take my advice. Make yourself scarce, let me handle the talking and this will all go smoothly. Don't challenge her, don't give her reason to think you're a threat. Got it?"

"Yeah. Sit back, let you do the work, and this will all blow over." I had a lot of questions, one of the many being how this woman was powerful enough to get even Roman to be afraid of her. This being the man who seemed to fear not a damn thing as far as I could tell.

Roman nodded. "Good. Now, just follow my lead." He said, turning and continuing on through the desolate industrial park.

The walk to our destination was short.

We arrived outside an old factory after a few moments, and the first thing that I took note of was that there was a vast number of Faunus wearing white Grimm like masks over their faces. They were all well-armed and looked to be the acting guardsmen for the area.

Roman pushed through them, not even getting a second look from any of the guards who must've either recognized him, or been expecting him to arrive.

Inside the factory, it didn't look nearly as desolate. It reminded me vaguely of the Club, what with the numbers of armed people wandering about, waiting for orders and doing their best to relax while they could.

Neo stood out like a sore thumb in the host of Faunus, her brightly colored hair helping her to stick out even though she was towered over by most of the Faunus present. She met us near a set of stairs that led up to a second floor of sorts.

Roman nodded to her, flicking his cigar to the floor and crushing it under foot. "Let's get this over with." He grumbled quietly to himself, leading Neo and I both up through the factory.

We were led into a small office that might've once been home to the foreman of the factory, as well as any important paperwork required for the job. Any of that had long since been disposed of, only the desk remaining in the middle of the room.

Sat on the desk, one leg draped comfortably over the other was an absolutely stunning woman. She had long pitch-black locks which were draped over a shoulder, framing half her face. Her eyes were by far her next most captivating feature, being a captivating amber color. Her skin was rather pale, making her eyes pop all the more, as well as her red and gold embroidered dress.

Off to her right was a girl around my age, she had chin length green hair, as well as blood red eyes. Her skin was much darker than the first woman's. Strapped to her lower back were a pair of weapons of some nature, the handles only just sticking out from behind her form.

On the left, with his feet kicked up on the desk was a guy who was generally average looking. He had grayish hair color, though it seemed to be natural rather than induced by age or hair dye. He held a smirk as he flipped a coin up into the air, catching it a moment later as it fell, only to toss it back up. He hardly paid us any attention.

"Roman, good. I was starting to wonder if you had stood me up?" The woman sat on the desk cooed quietly, her voice low and seductive in tone.

"You know, I thought about it. Thought about robbing a bank instead, just for the fun of it." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

She didn't seem to pay it any mind, her gaze tracking to Neo first, and then to me. "And I see you've brought your friends along just like I asked. Very good."

Roman shrugged a shoulder. "I thought to myself 'Hey, if she gets to bring her kids, then so do I.'"

The boy snickered quietly from his seat in the chair. The girl with green hair leveled a glare at him, though she went completely ignored by the boy who kept flipping his coin.

The woman sat on the desk let her lips curl into a grin that had me feeling all kinds of unease. "Do tell me, is this one a mute as well?" She asked as her gaze practically seemed to be digging into my skin.

"Not the point, Cinder. You wanted to see me?" Roman asked, trying to take the focus off of me.

The woman, Cinder, Roman called her, got up off the desk and started to approach me, ignoring Roman all together. "What's your name?" She asked, her voice incredibly low and quiet as she got right up in my personal space.

"C'mon, leave the kid be. We're both busy people and have things to do." Roman tried again, hoping that he could get her attention once again.

I bit back the nervousness that I could at having this woman so close to me, realizing that Roman wasn't going to be able to do much to get her to stop. "Jaune. My name's Jaune." I said, likely sounding more than a little nervous.

Cinder's grin didn't fade as her gaze bore into mine, making me feel like for the life of me she was boring into my soul. "I see." She purred quietly, taking a small step away from me. "So, Jaune, how do you know Roman here?"

Roman sighed and looked to me, his eyes telling me that he was sorry, but he did what he could. I got the message. "He's my mentor. Took me in a few months back, taught me how to survive, how to fight."

Cinder laughed quietly, even that sounding like it was meant to try and lure me in. "Is that so? Well, that must make you special. Roman doesn't take people in often." She took a moment more to look me over, glancing back to Roman then. "I wonder what it is that makes you special, hmm?"

Roman looked as though he was about to answer, but I cut him off. "Y'know, I've been wondering that myself. Why me, of all people?" Cinder looked back to me then, looking somewhat intrigued that I had spoken up. "I mean, I'm a nobody. I had no skills, no prospects, no Lien, nothing. Yet he took me in despite that. Started teaching me, showing me what the world was like, showing me what I had to do to survive here."

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "I doubt it's anything in particular that makes me special. I'm not. Just lucky enough to have Roman over there take pity and help me out when I needed it."

Cinder nodded a few times as she eyed me over, turning to face Roman then. "Perhaps." She said as she stalked over to the master criminal. "Though that doesn't sound like him to me." She shook her head. "I digress."

"Now, Roman, I assume you know why I've called you here?" She asked, taking a seat once more on the desk.

Roman rolled his eyes. "If I knew that, why would I have had to come?"

She hummed noncommittally. "Here I thought you were an intelligent man. Maybe I was wrong?"

"Taking a shot in the dark, I assume you're wanting a report on the dust I've been able to collect?"

She nodded, her honey sweet smile crossing her lips once again. "There it is. Though I'd also like to know how things are coming along in our other endeavors as well."

Roman nodded, producing a cigar and a lighter, taking a puff before answering. "Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but security has gotten more than a little tight over the past few weeks. Dust shops are getting better security, getting smarter and more armed. Makes my job just a _little _more difficult."

Cinder raised her brows at that. "Oh? Too difficult for the best criminal in Vale?"

Roman rolled his cigar between his teeth slightly. "I didn't say that. Just that things are going more… slowly than anticipated."

Cinder tilted her head slightly at that. "I see. I expect results, Roman. Not excuses."

"Well, when you've got an easy way around six different kinds of security quickly, I'd love to hear it. Until then, things are going to be slowed down from when we projected." He spat back.

Cinder waved her hand dismissively. "As for your other objective?"

Roman tapped some of the ash from the end of his cigar onto the floor. "Everything is in place. We're just waiting on Atlas to make the move."

Cinder nodded. "And when will that be?"

Roman shrugged. "My contact hasn't said. They'll tell me when they know."

"Good."

Roman raised his brows at her then. "Is there anything else, or are we free to go, your highness?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm once again.

Cinder hummed as she thought on Roman's question. "You are dismissed." She looked then to me. "I look forward to hearing from you, Jaune."

I smiled weakly and made my way from the room, feeling my skin crawl as her gaze tracked my quick exit.

Roman didn't say anything as he led Neo and I both from the compound and out into the late night of Vale.

After about fifteen minutes more worth of walking, we were now in a rather familiar area. This was Junior's territory now if I recalled rightly. We were out in the old warehouse district, and though I couldn't see any of the goons around, I had a feeling they knew we were here.

Roman led me into one of the warehouses that, just like the old factory, had a team of Faunus wearing the same white masks standing guard.

Inside, there wasn't a whole lot to see. Massive crates, some stacked three high were pushed into the back of the warehouse, while several Faunus wandered around.

I looked to Roman then. "Roman, what's all this?" I had at least a vague idea of what was going on, but I'd rather that I be told than guessing at options.

Roman turned to face me and blew out a puff of smoke. "This, kid, is what I've been working on these last few months." I rose my brows, though let him continue. "This here is just a portion of the Dust I've 'collected' from shops all around Vale."

He followed my gaze to one of the Faunus goons he had acting as security. "They're trustworthy enough. The deal we gave the White Fang was we supply them with a percentage of the Dust, they help us with manpower."

The White Fang. That name sounded familiar. I had heard it somewhere before, but where? On the news, maybe? Yes, that sounded right.

"Right… So why do we need all of this Dust? Wouldn't it be worth our time to steal Lien rather than Dust?"

Roman nodded. "Normally you'd be right. But Cinder asked for Dust. All the Dust in Vale, and so here we are."

I bit my lower lip. "About her, Cinder I mean. You said you work for her? Why?"

Roman took another puff off his cigar. "I do work for her, so to speak. She needed help, and came to the best person for the job. That being yours truly."

I frowned. "So, what are you getting out of it?"

Roman chuckled woodenly and waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it, kid. Just know that I'm getting ample payment."

I had a feeling there was more to the story than was being shared here, though I knew that if I pressed him, Roman would just grow more and more evasive about the subject. I nodded. "Right. So, why am I here exactly? You've never included me in your heists and work like this before."

Roman nodded. "Right you are. I've kept you out of this because you weren't ready. Not to mention you had a lot on your plate relating to Junior and his crew." He rolled his shoulders back. "You're here so that you can get familiarized with the operation."

I nodded, and Roman turned to the warehouse at large. "Perry! Get over here!" He shouted out into the building.

A moment later, a small wiry looking Faunus came running up. "What's up, boss?" He asked nervously.

Roman nodded to me. "Perry, this is Jaune. He's one of my associates and will be having a hand to play in future operations. Got it?"

Perry nodded. "Right, yeah. Got it." He looked then to me. "Name's Perry. I'm in charge of management when Roman's not around. Y'know, run the guards and pick out the next target for a heist. That kind of deal."

I nodded in greetings. "Got it."

Perry looked back to Roman. "Need anything else?"

Roman shook his head. "Go back to doing… whatever it was you were before."

Perry ran off again, shouting at some of the Faunus who were sitting around doing nothing.

I looked to Roman then. "So, you're going to start taking me on some of your heists then?" Even though that shouldn't have been something to get me excited, I couldn't help but to feel that way. Finally, I was thought competent enough to be brought along and not be a burden.

Roman chuckled and nodded. "That I am. You're good in practice, but I'd like to see how you do in the field."

"Got it. I assume we're going to be stealing Dust for the most part?"

"That we are, kid. One or two other heists might come up, but we won't have the animals with us for them."

I nodded, not saying anything about the casual racism from Roman towards the Faunus. "Alright, sure."

I started to take a look around, and noticed that I was being given a lot of rather weird and down right suspicious looks from the Faunus around me. They only seemed to be tolerating me because I had Roman at my side.

Hell, I doubted seriously that they even liked Roman. They only tolerated him because they had to, and respected him because if they didn't, they'd probably get the business end of Neo thrown at them.

Regardless, this was a step farther into the criminal underworld.

I couldn't wait.

* * *

**And there we have it. Short chapter, I know, but I did it because it'll help make next chapter feel better to read rather than rushed and shoved in this one.**

**That said, we're on to reviews.**

**Briskpillow - Another fan of Silent Knight, I see. Soon, all questions will be answered. I promise. Soon™.**

**Exiled Darkness - Yeah, Ruby probably, maybe, definitely won't be okay after what she saw and had happen to her. What fifteen year old girl would be? I don't care if she's a badass huntress in training, seeing someone get killed and then having their corpse drop on top of you is gonna leave some mental scars.**

**Another Stalker - Glad you're enjoying the story, and Jaune isn't ever the most alpha guy, at least not usually.**

**Engineer - Ah, paperwork. It will forever haunt the organizers behind any big operation. And you're probably right about Ruby trying to get Jaune to retire from his life of crime. Just you wait until she realizes how deep in he is, working with the White Fang and all. Then there's the issue that Jaune is actually excited and ready to go deeper into this life. Oh dear. Qrow is interesting for me in this fic because he wasn't in the original plan at all, and now that I've had him show up I really like what I've done, and anything involving him is coming on the fly. He clearly likes Jaune and more than likely sees a lot of himself in Jaune as well which is why he's sorta looking out for him. As for not stealing his liquor, well, you're right. Damn, that was something I should've put in there. Oh well. And yeah, he's oblivious and that's probably frustrating as hell for Neo, but she's got plans. Maybe. She's gotta compete with the little red one too.**

**Greer - See, in the first draft of that chapter, I had Jaune miss and accidentally hit Ruby in the process, shattering her Aura. The kill ended up going to Neo in the first draft, but after reading it over I decided that I liked this outcome more, where Jaune gets to be more of the 'hero.' It very well could be his family, or others. We know that Qrow is watching, which _probably_ means Ozpin is watching, and maybe that's what Qrow was trying to say. I will say, however, that the Arc family will have a role to play in this story coming up soon.**

**Sgt. Soul Snatcher - Here's his better gear. I definitely wanted him out of the goon suit and in something permanent ASAP, but there wasn't ever a time where it felt right until now, really. Ruby will have her part to play, as will all the other teams when the time comes around. Glad you're enjoying my take on Jaune's dive into criminality.**

**Moonryu - Glad you like my style and the story / how often I update. I keep this schedule because it keeps me accountable and writing every day so that maybe I'll actually finish a story for once.**

**X3 - Like I said above, it felt better to me to let Jaune have his 'hero' moment to save Ruby than to give it to Neo like I had done originally. Showed that his development thus far had been for something rather than nothing at all. Knowing Ruby, she'll probably try and pull Jaune out as you're suspecting, hoping against hope that she can pull him out of his life of crime. And you're right, I did make it similar, sorta, to how Summer was with Qrow. And you're right, as the romance plot of this story progresses, if things get a little... heated I'll make it a fade to black or implied but never seen sort of thing. Who knows though, Ruby might be afraid of Jaune, or she might try and pull him out of his dive into darkness and crime.**

**Imperial Germany - That is one thing I'll deny here and now. The romance sub-plot of this story will end with Jaune having only one SO, no matter the number of times I get the request for both. I definitely think Neo would get stabby with Ruby if she was told to share. For me it's just not how this story was laid out nor my favorite thing to write if I'm honest. It can be good, but not without a lot of planning ahead of time which just isn't here.**

**EiNyx - Oops, okay, so I definitely didn't mean to be ambiguous about if he was dead or not. Baxton did take a bullet right through the cranium. He is VERY dead, I promise. I too hate the recurring villain because deus ex machina and the writer is lazy. Nothing to fear there.**

**Jack Redhawke - Shhhhhh. See, I got this genius idea to buy the item labeled Time Machine at Ikea, right? That sounds like fun. And well, it clearly didn't work and it just brought me here. Needless to say my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.**

**JaviGrace - You're right, it could work, maybe, in theory and if I planned it out ahead of time. As it stands now though, it's not an option. I just don't have the framework or the planning done, nor the creativity to find a way to make it work and have it be satisfying to read and have as an outcome. Glad you could find the poll, though.**

**Deku Momiya - Oh, I see. Someone in favor of everyone's favorite tsundere Weiss. She'll show up in the story real soon, I promise.**

**And that's a wrap on reviews from last time.**

**I know I say this at the end of almost every chapter, and you're all tired of hearing it, but holy hell, you're all fantastic for all the support. We just broke 500 follows at the time of writing this, and that just makes me feel all kinds of good on the inside.**

**Next chapter we have some actual story that we saw in the show RWBY rather than what I made up so Jaune gets development of his own. This is where things might get a little wonky because the timeline feels a little loose, but I promise that I'll try and make it work. Things are about to get ratcheted up to eleven, and it's gonna be great.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, May 31st (Stupid Ikea Time Machine... I knew that one missing screw was important...)**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I return, friends.**

**Here's the next chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 16]

The city of Vale was dark, the only sound to be heard was the quiet drone of the sea not far off.

I stood in front of the docks; hands shoved in my pockets as I leaned back against one of the fences that were meant to keep the general public from wandering into the area.

Roman had all but guaranteed that the docks would be completely deserted tonight, and that the heist would be a rather simple affair – in and out, not a single soul any the wiser until it was too late.

Despite that, he still had Neo and I 'running point.' Really, he had us standing watch incase something went wrong. That wasn't exactly what I had pictured when I was told I'd be part of more daring heists and missions with my mentor, but it was better than being left to my own devices every night.

I let a hand rest comfortably on the hilt of Crocea Mors, the sword having since been repainted by the blacksmith Roman had taken me to. The gold was replaced with tones of blue, and the markings that would easily identify it as Crocea Mors were gone. That wasn't to say he had reshaped the shield, but my family sigil was no longer anywhere to be seen on it. Nor was Ruby's for that matter.

The smith had also gotten the new set of armor to me. It wasn't a full suit like I had half expected from the man – instead it was a simple breastplate, much like the one I had when I still was hoping to attend Beacon. It wasn't the same white color though, instead it was gray, much like the vest I wore. The edges were further lined in a dark navy blue, like the dress shirt. On my right shoulder was a shoulder pad, in the same style as my breastplate, with the colors to match. Beneath my pants was a set of chainmail infused with Dust to make it more secure, or something of that nature. I had a very similar set beneath the blue dress shirt I wore as well. My gloves had also been replaced, giving me a simple pair of navy blue fingerless gloves, again to match the dress shirt.

I groaned and slid down the fence, the metal making a soft clinking against the new breastplate I had been outfitted with as I came to be seated. I dug my flask out of its spot strapped to my hip, tossing back the contents with ease. It wasn't whiskey, but vodka this time around. Neo glanced over towards me and eyed the flask in my hand expectantly.

I sighed and held it out to her. She smiled and took it from my hand, taking a long swig of her own. She handed the metal container back to me, leaving me to find that where it had been mostly full, it was now about half empty.

I sighed and glared at her. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't drink it all."

She just smirked and shrugged at me, looking back to her scroll.

I strapped the flask back to my hip and leaned back against the fence, looking up at the sky. _At least everything's going well. No unexpected –_

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion going off in the dock, and a plume of angry black smoke billowing up into the sky like a beacon for the whole city to see.

_Well, would you look at that. I jinxed it._ I thought humorlessly. I shot a glance over to Neo who was already getting up to her feet. She jerked her head back towards the dock.

"Right, you go, see what's happened. Help Roman if he needs it, I'll keep an eye open out here." She nodded once more, and proceeded to vanish into the night despite her colorful nature.

I got to my feet and scanned the area.

My gaze landed on a single black SUV rolling slowly forward, it's headlights off and windows tinted black making it impossible for me to see through. _Fantastic, really._ I thought as I tensed up, preparing for whatever, or whoever was going to emerge from that vehicle.

They emerged a moment later, a rather short girl with hair that reminded me a lot of Nora's. She didn't seem to be armed, at least not from what I could see at this distance.

Behind me, another series of explosions were erupting, though I could hear nothing of the combat that was inevitably happening.

The figure approaching me didn't seem to have a care in the world as she marched down the street like a girl on a mission. She didn't even seem to hesitate once I drew Crocea Mors in its rifle form, leveling the weapon at her chest.

"Hey, listen here. Turn around and go home. There's nothing for you here." I called out, hoping that I could get this girl to turn around and leave.

"I am afraid that I can not do that. I am going to ask you to please stand down and be arrested peacefully." She said, her tone of voice making her sound more robotic than human in my opinion.

I shook my head and kept my stance, taking aim down the sight of my rifle. Another explosion rung out behind me. Sirens started up in the distance. I shook my head. "Not happening. Now, please. I don't want to hurt you. Turn around and go home, and we'll both be happy at the end of the night."

The girl tilted her head at my comment, standing about twenty feet away from me now. "If you do not wish to hurt me, then stand down and allow me to arrest you peacefully."

I grit my teeth and sucked in a deep breath. I took aim for her right kneecap. It would be a painful wound, one that would quite likely cripple her for life, but it was one of the only ways to guarantee she wasn't coming any closer.

I squeezed the trigger, a loud bang following as I looked back across the street.

The girl hardly seemed phased by the assault, there not even seeming to be a wound on her knee. _She has Aura, damnit. There's no way she could take a few more rounds though, right? Even with my reserves I can hardly take five or six shots before I'm done for._

That thought in mind, I fired off several more rounds at the girl who didn't even make an attempt to move or get out of the way, only stood watching me.

The bullets made impact, but she didn't seem to care, almost as though they weren't a threat to her at all.

"I see. I will have to arrest you by force, then. Very well. I am combat ready." The girl said.

I blinked several times, loading my rifle once again as I stared at her. _She just took a full magazine of bullets and didn't even blink… What the hell?_

I shifted Crocea Mors into a sword and shield in time to see her bring several blades that seemed to float of their own accord from behind her. _That's… different._

The blades began to sing through the night sky, almost before I could even tell they had started moving, they were on top of me, clashing into my shield and forcing me to dodge away from those that she had attempting to flank me.

I growled lowly and broke into a charge, shoving the blades off to one side. Though they may be floating, it felt like a Junior sized man was wielding each and every one with all his strength put behind every blow.

I closed the distance between the two of us and brought Crocea Mors down in a slash across her chest, from shoulder to hip. The girl danced back with grace, leaving me to hit only air.

The blades that she had been armed with came back to her, forming an arch over her head as she used them in a more melee sense, lashing out and crashing them against my shield.

I grunted and pushed off the first slash, closing the distance between us once more, I bashed my shield up into her face, making contact and sending the girl stumbling backwards slightly. Seeing an opportunity where it presented itself, I pressed the assault and brought my sword around to slash her chest and face.

The girl tanked the blow, taking a moment after to create some space between us as she eyed me over, her gaze critical as she watched my each and every move.

I grit my teeth as I glared at her still, keeping my shield up. "Just what the hell are you?" I asked, not expecting a response.

"I am Penny Polendina, a completely normal girl here to stop the villainous acts of Roman Torchwick." She repeated, still sounding incredibly robotic to me.

I growled lowly and charged at her again, feeling as a collection of her swords swung down at me, making contact with my shield and stopping my assault in it's tracks before I even had a chance to engage her. "Well, here's a newsflash to you – I'm not Roman." I spat out sarcastically.

"This is correct. You are Jaune Arc, reported missing person from Ansel. You are a known associate of Roman Torchwick and Hei Xiong." She said, charging at me. I only just barely had a chance to dodge out of the way of her swipe, diving for the concrete as I heard the blades cut through the air.

I pulled myself up to my feet and eyed her, keeping my shield up and forward, ready to catch another of her blows. _She's quick, not to mention her swings seem to hit like a truck. She took an entire magazine's worth of bullets without even blinking. Her defense seems strong, but she's not creative with her attacks. Simple slashes, and bog-standard attempts to get around my shield._

I dodged off to the left as she swung her blades at me once again. I glanced back over my shoulder at the docks, the angry plume of smoke still raging, though the explosions seem to have stopped for now at least.

I turned my attention back to Penny stood in front me, the girl not seeming all that interested in attacking me what I had diverted my attention from her. I narrowed my eyes at that and broke into a charge once more, hoping to be able to get another good shield bash, maybe giving me the opportunity to get behind her.

She made the exact same slash attack that she had before when I charged, letting me dodge off to the right to avoid it completely as I continued closing the gap between us. She brought the other half of her blades to bear on me, and I dodged to the left to avoid them. I couldn't help but grin as I stepped into her guard. _She's predictable._

I slammed my shield up into her face, knocking her back slightly. I pressed forward, bringing my sword in for a stab at her gut. The blade made contact and pierced through her, though she didn't seem to react. Instead, she used her blades to once again knock me away from her, wrenching my sword from my grasp.

I crashed to the ground and groaned, sweat pouring from my body as my head pounded, the world seemed to be spinning ever so slightly. That wasn't ever a good thing.

The next thing I knew, a wave of her blades came rushing at me, bypassing my shield. Thankfully, my Aura caught it, though the blow could be felt throughout my entire torso.

I groaned and stumbled back, glancing to the side as I saw her next blow coming for me. I rose my shield to block it, catching the attack completely, but sending me skidding across the concrete again.

I could taste blood in my mouth.

I grimaced and reached behind my back and drew one of the two knives that I had purchased in case I ever found myself without Crocea Mors.

I rolled my head from side to side and set myself in a ready stance as I eyed Penny across the street. Crocea Mors was still sticking from her gut. There didn't seem to be any blood pouring from the wound. "That the best you got?" I growled out to her.

"You are proving to be a better combatant than I was led to believe, Jaune Arc. Very impressive, I would love to hear about your training regimen after you have been arrested." She responded, slowly walking across the street towards me.

I was breathing heavily still, glaring at her from over my shield as she approached.

I didn't have much in terms of Aura left that I could feel. _I can probably take one more good blow, and then I'm out._

I barked out a laugh and shook my head. "Not gonna happen." I responded.

I broke out into a charge once again, and the girl stopped, tilting her head as she watched me.

I closed the distance, and she brought her blades down in an arc to stop me, and like last time I dodged to the right first. The blow crashed into my shield, right where I had dodged to trying to evade the attack completely.

I growled low, but didn't let that deter me, spinning to the side out from under the pressure of her blades I pressed forward in an attempt to close the gap between us further, letting me use my knives against her.

She brought more blades to bear against me, and rather than dodge at all, I continued straight on, her blades missing me completely.

I slammed my shield into her face, letting it fly off my forearm after it had made contact, clattering to the concrete a few feet away. I brought the knife I had in hand down, plunging it into her neck, the blade slipping just past her collarbone.

The girl seemed surprised, if only slightly. I grinned and spit a mouth full of blood into her face, reaching down and wrenching Crocea Mors from her stomach. I took a glance down at the wound to find that there wasn't flesh there, but machinery.

I didn't have time to dwell on that, bringing Crocea Mors around, finding it incredibly hard to maneuver in this tight space right up against the robotic girl.

She slammed her head into my chest, creating an ever so slight distance between us. I grunted, though made to bring Crocea Mors back to bear, slashing down for her torso once again.

The blade was knocked away by one of her own, the girl having taken the time to clear her eyes before attacking. She created several more feet of space between us, leaving me holding Crocea Mors in both hands, breathing hard and exhausted as I watched my opponent.

Despite the knife sticking out of her neck, she didn't seem all too phased.

She brought her swords in front of her, all of the blades coming to form a circle. Then a bright blue light began to shine from in the middle, starting as a small sphere but growing larger.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me…" I muttered quietly, shooting a glance towards my shield which was almost definitely a bit too far away to grab before whatever it was that she was doing finished.

I reached behind me and drew the other knife from its sheath, eyeing the girl stood across from me. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try at the least.

I pulled my arm back and threw with all my strength, sending the knife toppling end over end towards the charging weapon that would almost assuredly mean my doom.

Time seemed to slow down for me as I watched the blade sail through the air. End over end, it might just be enough.

The knife sailed uselessly past the girl, clattering down to the concrete behind her.

I dove for my shield, hoping I had enough time.

The blast, much like a massive laser from the strategy games I played so much of before I came to Vale, fired.

I closed my eyes, ready for immense pain.

That pain never came.

I opened my eyes and saw Neo stood several feet in front of me, her parasol held up, absorbing the blast almost like it was nothing at all.

Once the blast finished, Neo wasted no time in closing the gap between her and Penny.

Penny might have a good defense, at least to some degree, but Neo was all the better on the attack.

That was, until Neo ever so slightly over extended, and took a blow from Penny, sending her across the street in a heap.

Penny frowned and, rather than chasing after Neo, stored her weapons away. She ripped my knife from her neck and dropped it to the ground, waltzing off into the night just as mysteriously as she had appeared.

I stumbled over to the prone form that was Neo, crouching down as I heard sirens growing worryingly near. "You alright there?" I rasped out, spitting out a glob of blood, wiping the remains from my lips.

Neo nodded and pulled herself up to her feet. I smiled, standing back up, finding that the world was still spinning more than it had any right to be. I collected the knives from where they lay, sheathing them on my back.

A Bullhead came hovering low over the street Neo and I stood on, Roman leaning out the side, a grin on his lips as he puffed a cigar. His white coat was smudged and singed slightly, but all in all he seemed alright. "You kids need a ride?"

I chuckled, nodding, finding that just about everything hurt like hell.

"Well, get in then. I don't want to be here when the cops show up." Roman said, extending his cane down towards me.

I grabbed the hooked end, and he hoisted me up easily, doing the same for Neo. Once the two of us were inside, he slammed his fist on the door to the cockpit. The Bullhead started gaining altitude and we were off, away from the docks.

I leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes as I caught my breath. The motion sickness that almost always plagues me hadn't even seemed to register, and I was going to count my blessings where I could.

"So, Jaune, how was your first heist with Uncle Roman?" The master criminal asked, leaning back in his own seat, puffing contentedly on a cigar.

I pushed a breath out through my nose, shaking my head. "If that's what awaits me every time, count me out." I said jokingly, shaking my head. I didn't open my eyes for fear that I might trigger the motion sickness. "I thought we were going to be alone, no interference, right? What happened to that?"

"Well, a group of brats got in the way, that's what." Roman said offhandedly. "Someone who was pissy about her precious White Fang working with someone like me." He chuckled. "She cost me more Dust than I'd have liked, but them's the breaks."

I nodded, not responding verbally.

Roman took that as a cue and continued on. "What about you? Looks like you had one hell of a tussle out there if you're in this bad a shape."

I nodded once. "That's not saying the half of it." I swallowed before continuing, feeling the motion sickness start to close in on me. "Fought this girl… Called herself, and I quote, 'Penny Polendina, a totally normal girl here to stop the villainy of Roman Torchwick.' Or something of that sort." I shrugged my shoulders. "She's something else…"

I swallowed once again, fighting back the urge to be sick. "Girl has weapons – these swords that are floating but hit like damn trucks with every swing. Can turn it into some sort of ion cannon or something too." I paused for a moment. "She's built like a tank… literally and figuratively. She easily took blows that would've crippled most people, and didn't react to being stabbed in the neck."

The urge to vomit was growing, though I kept my eyes scrunched closed and focused on telling the story to Roman, hoping that it'd keep me distracted. "She's not made of flesh and blood… The wounds I put on her, they didn't bleed. It's all mechanical." I managed out, the feeling of sickness growing too great for me.

Thankfully, I was sat next to the door, throwing it open I emptied the contents of my stomach out into the night sky, likely to land on some poor unsuspecting civilian. I felt a hand gently on my back start to trace circles in an attempt to comfort me.

I glanced over and saw that it was Neo who only smiled at me. I offered a weak smile back, bringing the door to a close, glancing over to Roman who was rubbing at his chin.

"Interesting… Anything else?" He asked, looking over to me.

I thought for a moment, nodding. "Yeah, when she showed up, she was dropped off by a completely blacked out SUV. No lights, tinted windows, that whole deal. I didn't see the vehicle leave, but it was gone by the time our fight started."

Roman nodded once again, puffing on his cigar thoughtfully. "Well, alright then." He looked up to me and nodded, a slight smile pulling at his lips. "You did good, chief."

I smiled weakly and nodded, closing my eyes in an attempt to keep the contents of my stomach where they belonged.

[-/-]

_"Good Afternoon citizens of Vale, my name is Lisa Lavender, and thank you for tuning into Channel 7, your only source for what's happening in Vale. As many of you may already know, last night we had an unprecedented attack on the Vale Docks by the infamous Roman Torchwick. Reports claim that during the heist, an unknown group made an attempt to interfere with the robbery. Unfortunately, they were unable to stop the criminal, suffering at least two casualties in the process. Their identities are as of yet unknown to us."_ The TV droned on as Roman, Neo and I were sat, enjoying our breakfasts.

_"In the course of their fight, it is believed that Torchwick was forced to detonate at least one shipping crate's worth of dust, destroying much of the harbor in the process. Nothing is currently known about the whereabouts of Torchwick, or any of his accomplices."_

I got up from my seat, taking my empty plate, as well as Roman and Neo's over to the kitchen, cleaning up as I knew neither of those two would.

I glanced over to Roman and thought for a moment. "Say, Roman?"

"Hm?"

"They claim there were at least two casualties last night, of the ones who tried to interfere? Did you actually kill them?" In truth, I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to that question. Not at all. My curiosity though, wouldn't accept not knowing.

Roman looked over to me then and shook his head. "I didn't." He produced a cigar and lit it up, sighing contentedly after a moment. "I'll let you in on a little secret I've got, Jaune. Believe it or not, I've got morals. Those two who tried to interfere? They were a couple of kids. People your age. Huntsmen in training." I nodded, letting him continue.

"I might be willing to rob anyone and everyone of their valuables if I can, but I draw the line at killing innocents." He chuckled darkly, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Once you start killing innocents, you're no better than the Grimm. Those brats who interfered last night? They might've been in my way, but they didn't deserve to die, not when I didn't need to kill them."

I nodded, still cleaning the dishes. "So, what you're saying is don't do something I'd regret later?"

Roman frowned, shrugging his shoulders. "Something like that." He took a puff off his cigar, pushing himself up from the table. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a few warehouses to visit." He said, making his way to the door.

I nodded, eyeing him thoughtfully as I ran his words over in my head. I didn't speak, just watched as the master criminal, most wanted man in Vale, and mentor to yours truly walked out the front door.

_He's strange. He talks about his morals, and lines he won't cross, such as killing innocents, or sparing people when he can. Yet he's a criminal, and the best of the best at it to boot. Stealing others hard earned lien is okay by him, but ending their lives isn't._

I frowned, setting the dishes to dry as I continued on with my thoughts. _While the rest of the world might view it as insane to think that's okay, I clearly didn't. I was desperate, I wanted more than anything to become something, to not just be a background character in someone's story. In that case, it meant becoming a criminal. I stole from Dust shops, blew up damn police cruisers, and none of that hit me, didn't make me think what I was doing was wrong._

I took a seat on the couch, not paying attention to the TV that was still playing the news, having moved on to other stories. _The first thing that made me wonder if I was the bad guy was killing that man…_ I shuddered slightly, his visage springing to mind all too easily. I tried to push it back down. _I killed him when I didn't need to. He might've been in my way, and might've been my enemy but he didn't need to die. I had won before I killed him._

I blew out a breath through my nose and shook my head. _Then there's Baxton. I killed him, but it didn't hit me. Not in the same way. Is it because there wasn't any other option? Because I was trying to protect one of my friends?_

I sighed and looked up at the ever-elusive pattern that raked the ceiling of the apartment. I closed my eyes, content to just relax for a little while.

Neo, however, must've been bored. I opened my eyes, feeling a new weight sit in my lap.

I saw Neo sat in my lap, well, more straddling it as she looked up at me, her head tilted to the side slightly. I rose my brows at that. "Yes, Neo?"

She tapped me on the chest, and then pointed out the door.

I blinked a few times. "You want to go out?"

She nodded once.

I groaned and closed my eyes again. "Did you want to do anything in particular, or just waste time?" I asked, cracking an eye open to look at her.

She shrugged, then tugging at my shirt, likely in attempts to get me to move.

I groaned once more, though relented. "Fine, fine."

She beamed up at me, clearly pleased that she won.

I rolled my eyes, sitting there staring at her. "You do know you're going to have to get off me if we're going somewhere." I pointed out.

The pouted and crossed her arms.

I chuckled and shrugged. "Well, if you won't move, then I won't." I said, closing my eyes once more.

I felt her weight slide off my lap, and then her tugging at my hand to get me moving.

I opened my eyes with a smirk and got up, stretching my arms over my head. "Alright, lead the way."

She did just that, dragging me out into the city. It was hard to tell if she had any destination in mind, or if she was just wandering, looking for something that interested her.

I hummed quietly as I let the tiny assassin drag me through the city streets. Now that's a novel thought, having a tiny assassin dragging me through the streets. Never something I'd have thought possible just six months ago, yet here I am, perfectly content and at ease. Funny how things change in such a short time.

This wandering continued for a while, until she led me into a local park. All was pretty quiet, not much in terms of people around.

Still though, Neo led on. She took me up a hill, where at the top was a single rather large maple tree. Neo wandered over and took a seat under it, motioning for me to join her. _Odd choice, but whatever._ I thought as I came to take a seat next to the tri colored girl.

From here, we had a decent view of Vale, or at least the local area. It was nice, all said and done. A quiet place where I doubted anyone would disturb us, leaving us the ability to look down over the few people we could see and just watch.

I glanced over to Neo who had brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them as she looked out over the city, her arms wrapped around her legs to keep them in place, or because it was comfortable. I didn't know.

I smiled, more or less to myself and leaned back against the tree, stretching my legs out in front of me as I too watched the people and cars move towards their destinations, doing whatever it was they had to do for the afternoon.

I started humming quietly, just an old tune that I had heard played at home a lot and had gotten stuck in my head. **(Dust in the Wind for anyone who's curious)**

I heard Neo shift slightly next to me, and then I felt her head come to rest gently on my shoulder. I glanced down at her, seeing that she was looking back up at me, her eyes shifting colors a few times. I smiled, though didn't think anything of it and looked back out over town, still continuing my quiet tune.

Things remained this way for a little while, my idle humming and Neo contentedly laying against my shoulder. I'll admit, I didn't mind. Even if I did, I think I'd just have to deal with it, or face the wrath of the assassin. Regardless, it was comfortable. Other than the fact that my right arm was being squished between my side and her.

I shifted, taking my arm out from where it was being crushed, and seeing no other place to put it, it went across Neo's back, letting my hand rest on her side lightly. Part of me knew this was a dangerous play, but another decided it didn't care.

I glanced down at her once again, and she was smiling contentedly. Her eyes were both brown, and I swore I could see a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks. She looked back up at me, her eyes seemed to be asking a question, but I'll be damned if I knew what it was.

"What's up?" I asked quietly.

She seemed to think for a moment, still looking up at me. Eventually, she made a decision, and before I had a chance to know what it was, I was shown.

She had leaned up, gently pressing her lips against mine in a tender kiss.

A kiss that ended just as suddenly as it began.

I felt my breath catch in my throat, and all thought come to a screeching halt. The only thing I could do was sit in shock and stare down at Neo, who's gaze was now shifting periodically between brown and pink.

I blinked a few times and swallowed, reminding myself to breathe. Neo was still looking up at me, her lips pursed as she waited for whatever my reaction might be. A reaction to events I was still processing.

I saw her look down and away from me, and that seemed to jumpstart my brain, giving it the kick in the ass it needed to actually function with the information it was being made to process.

I reached over, hoping that I could get her to look at me, though as soon as my hand made contact, she shattered like glass.

I blinked, looking around, I saw her form at the base of the hill, the bright pink hair giving her away. I shot to my feet and made to start following her. "Neo, wait!" I shouted out, trying to get her to come back so I could figure out what to say and do.

She didn't even look back, making her way out of the park at a quick pace. I followed behind her as best I could, hoping that I'd be able to catch up.

I stepped out into the streets of Vale, looking to see where she had gone, hoping that her hair would be a beacon for me.

It wasn't.

I groaned, taking a few steps back, slumping against the low stone wall that lined the park. I slammed my head back into the wall a few times, not bothering to bring my Aura up to cushion the blows. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." I muttered to myself.

I groaned and closed my eyes, slamming my head back into the brickwork again.

"How long did it take you to figure that one out?" The gravelly voice of Qrow commented from somewhere behind me.

I groaned, opening my eyes and hopped up to my feet. I turned to glare at the huntsman behind me. "Very funny, asshole."

Qrow grinned, rocking back on his heels. "Finally, someone who appreciates me."

I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for whatever shit he had to give me.

I was about to turn and leave, though Qrow spoke up. "You look like you could use a drink, and it's always more fun with a friend." The question went unasked, but was clearly hanging in the air.

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "Fuck it, why not?"

Qrow grinned, nodding his head. "That's the spirit, kid."

* * *

**And scene.**

**Well, that was a thing. Definitely a thing. Poor Jaune, and poor Neo, really. One is too damn slow to figure it out, and the other sort of panicked when she didn't get a response and ran. Just... Be gentle? I know things look bad, but they might get better if Jaune can figure it out.**

**On other topics, I'm back and here to stay for a while. Until my vacation comes up in another I think like, three weeks or something? I dunno, but you'll be made aware before I leave to not expect anything in that time.**

**On the emergency front and my sudden leaving, well, not all went well. My grandmother passed away at the age of 96. Really tore up a lot of us, but I'm all good now and here to write. I appreciate all the well wishes from y'all and even the PMs I got, made me smile to know that you're concerned.**

**All that said, we're on to reviews. (I'll be skipping over the well wishing and covering the stuff from Chapter 15)**

**Imperial Germany - I do agree. The only way they don't get to become boring and repetitive is if it's been well enough thought out and planned for which in the case of this story, it's just not there.**

**Deku Momiya - A mask is definitely an option, just one he hasn't considered yet. But one that I as the author definitely have. Just depends on if he wants to keep his identity a secret or not.**

**Halobyrd98 - Well... It happened? Just not the way anyone really wanted it to, definitely not Neo or Jaune, but there's still a lot of time to fix things. Or make them worse, only time will tell.**

**Exiled Darkness - Obvious start of new story arc is obvious, awesome. And you're right, Ruby has basically handed Jaune a win-win situation, assuming that she has, and then realizes her feelings for the oblivious blond boy. And well, the Neo bit kinda broke... Oops...**

**X3 - That has yet to be seen. There are definitely more changes to be coming, but all in all, it's the same outward look from here on. A few very minor details might change, but the over all look is set in stone where it is. Cinder & Co will be very present for this next arc, if not directly, then they're a looming threat to be aware of.**

**Valerious Lake - Jaune definitely has what it takes to be the mastermind, at least it seems that way. He just hasn't taken that mantle. Not that we've seen yet.**

**Specter - Like I said above, he may well go for a mask. Just depends on if he thinks about it, which he might. Or he might get it suggested to him.**

**Josh Spicer - You are right, he's still real recognizable. He might figure that out, he might not. We will have to see, but damn that's the third thought on masks. We'll see.**

**Engineer - Well, here's his new set of armor, looking pretty good if you ask me, the gray and blue. At least it looks good in my head, so there's that. And well, someone modifying her work? That's probably a no go in her book... But what she doesn't know won't hurt her, right? Then there's Cinder. Oh, Jaune. Jaune you absolute buffoon, if only you knew the danger you were in and how deep this rabbit hole goes. And more support for Qrow who is here to talk to Jaune and get him drunk because he just so happens to be in the right place at the right time. What a coincidence. And he'll definitely not make that mistake twice. Qrow will steal Jaune's liquor next time, the blonde just doesn't know it yet.**

**Greer - Cinder is watching Jaune. We got a Code Red - everyone PANIC.**

**And that's all my reviews, other than the well wishing.**

**Just so you're aware, by the time you see this the previous chapter (the update) should be deleted and gone, so anyone just reading through the whole story won't see that little note. Also, by the time this is up, I'll have taken down the poll, and the final results are going to be below.**

**Silent Knight (Jaune x Neo) - 34 Votes**

**Lancaster (Jaune x Ruby) - 32 Votes**

**Golden Lotus (Jaune x Ren) - 2 Votes**

**Well, that actually was a lot tighter of a race than I expected. Do keep in mind that this was more of a curiosity to me, to see what y'all shipped. The end pairing is already written in my outline, somewhere.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, June 17th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Another Monday, another chapter of Criminally Good finally back on schedule.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 17]

I leaned back in the booth, subtly nodding my head along with the quiet rock tones that the owner had playing in the background.

Qrow had taken me off to a local bar, one named the Crow Bar. The irony of it didn't pass me by.

Said Huntsman was stood at the bar, chatting up the older man working behind it, promising that he'd return with liquor.

I glanced about, and the place was completely empty other than Qrow and I. Not a single other patron anywhere to be seen. That may well have been due to the fact that it was only five in the afternoon, but I'd have thought that there would be a few patrons by now. Most people should be getting off work at this time.

Regardless, I sighed and closed my eyes, finding myself lost in thought. _God, you're oblivious, and to boot you're a goddamned moron. She looked to you for confirmation, she wanted to know how you'd react. And what did you do? NOTHING. You sat there bewildered and lost, and she got the wrong idea. All you had to do was do SOMETHING. Anything._

"Lien for your thoughts there, brat?" Qrow asked, sliding into the seat across from me.

I cracked open my eyes and glared at him, the older man looking none too impressed nor bothered by my glare. He had a slight smirk on his lips as he watched me, waiting for me to respond. I sighed and shook my head. "You saw it, you know what's on my mind."

He raised his brows at that. "Believe it or not, I didn't see whatever it was – and last time I checked, my semblance isn't mind reading."

I continued to glare at him, not all too sure why I had agreed to let him take me out drinking at all. "Cut the shit, I know you're watching me. I know you saw what happened in the park. You don't need me to spell it out for you."

Qrow just chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, kid, that's great." He glanced over as the barkeep came around, a platter in hand with a tray of fries, as well as ten shots which he set down on the table before leaving just as quietly as he came.

"You think you're my top priority? Cute." Qrow said, taking the first shot and tossing it back easily. "I've got _much_ bigger fish to fry than you."

I reached out for one of the shots, the glass filled with a clear liquid rather than whiskey like I'd generally been used to. I tossed it back, finding some comfort in the burn as it slid down my throat. That was always a constant, one I'd come to relish in over the past few months.

"Now, spill. What's got you looking sorry for yourself?" Qrow prodded again, munching on a handful of fries.

I sighed, eyeing the empty glass in hand. "It's pretty stupid…" I muttered quietly.

"You're a stupid teenager, that's to be expected."

I shook my head. "Girl troubles." I said, assuming that he'd be able to figure it out from there.

To his credit, Qrow didn't laugh. He just nodded, munching thoughtfully on his fries. "I know how that is, kid. It'll sort itself out, one way or another." He slid a shot over to me and raised one of his own, nodding towards me before tossing it back. "What'd you do?"

I mirrored his movements, tossing back a shot of my own. "More like what I didn't do." I said bitterly, taking a few fries for myself. Qrow was watching, looking rather interested. "We were sitting in the park, just kinda watching the city and wasting time. I didn't think a damn thing of it."

"Next thing I knew, she had kissed me." I swallowed as the memory, and the fleeting feeling of her lips against mine came back for a moment.

"Alright, I'm guessing there's more, because this sounds like a happy story so far."

I nodded. "Yeah, well, me being the fucking genius that I am, I locked up. I froze – didn't know what to do, and just stared at her. She got the wrong idea, I guess. Took off once I didn't exactly respond. You saw the aftermath."

Qrow nodded, drumming his fingers on the table lightly. "I'm no good at this kind of shit…" He grumbled quietly, more or less to himself. "Listen, best advice I've got for you? Just tell her the truth – how you feel and see what happens. She's clearly in to you from what you've told me."

I rolled my eyes. "How helpful."

Qrow just raised his hands slightly, shaking his head. "I never said I'd be a counsellor for your shit, just said I'd come drink with you."

I sighed, taking another of the shot glasses for myself, downing it in one gulp. "Why'd you even offer in the first place? Not exactly like we're friends."

Qrow shrugged, matching my shot. "You're right, we're not."

"Then why offer?"

"Why not? I'd have been drinking anyway, might as well not drink alone if I can."

I shrugged my shoulders, content to let Qrow's reasoning stand, even if I didn't believe it. I suspected he had his own motives behind this, I just didn't particularly know what.

[-/-]

Qrow had gotten us kicked out of the bar a few hours later for causing a fight. This left the two of us wandering the streets. Qrow insisting that he knew there was another bar nearby that would serve us without having some jackass goad him into a fight.

I hummed quietly as I walked, hands in my pockets as I trailed along behind the dunk Huntsman. My body felt warm, even despite the downpour that had soaked into our clothes not but minutes before. My head was fuzzy, and I definitely wasn't thinking straight, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, I was ushered into a squat building, one that looked about as ramshackle as could be. A few chips and dents in the brickwork were instantly obvious, likely the results of a fight gone more severe than intended. Above the door was once a painted-on sign that had the name of the bar, though it had long since been washed away by years of the weather pelting against it.

Qrow led me inside, showing me that the exterior had given me a good image for what to expect on the interior as well.

There were more than a few busted up chairs, all stacked off in one corner near the front door. The tables looked scarred and well worn after years of constant wear and tear from rowdy tenants.

"Take a seat where ya' can, kid. I'll get us some drinks." Qrow slurred out. I didn't bother to argue, finding a table that had at least two intact chairs that weren't going to collapse under our weight.

Hanging in one of the corners of the room was an old TV, quietly barking out the news broadcast for the evening. The familiar face of Lisa Lavender was present, but the volume was far to low for me to make out any of what she was saying.

Qrow returned a few moments later, though he didn't have rows of shots like I'd expected. In his hands were a pair of glasses that held some sort of dark drink, topped off with what looked to be cream or milk.

He took a seat across from me and slid one of the glasses across the scratched and scarred wooden table. I took it in hand, pausing to take a whiff of it – the scent of coffee invading my nose. Qrow just rolled his eyes. "You gonna drink or what?" He asked, looking rather amused by my actions.

I took a sip, finding that this didn't burn as I swallowed, though it still left a slightly warm sensation in my stomach. "Not bad." I commented, taking another sip.

Qrow didn't respond, simply nodding his head and draining his glass ever so slowly.

A silence started to grow between us as I realized that while I had been out drinking with him all night, I hardly knew a damn thing about him. I glanced up from the table at the older huntsman who was letting his own gaze wander in boredom.

"Alright, Qrow. What's your story? You know a lot about me, but I don't know a damn thing about you."

He let his gaze track back to me, and he arched a brow. "What makes you think I've got a story to tell?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Most people do." I said, taking another sip of the coffee flavored drink. "I'd hazard a guess to say yours is pretty good, y'know, considering you're a Huntsman and all."

Qrow chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "Hate to break it to ya' kid, but I'm not interesting in the least. Same story every other huntsman has – went to combat school, graduated, started hunting Grimm. All there is to it."

I narrowed my eyes, lips twisting into a slight frown. "Bull shit. Not every Huntsman has the ability to turn into a bird on a whim."

"It's called a semblance."

"Nor are they friends with shady club owners."

"Networking is important."

"And they certainly don't just let notorious criminals such as Roman Torchwick sit undisturbed when they know exactly where he is." I finished, taking a long sip of the drink he had handed me.

Qrow opened his mouth as though to respond, but thought better of it and closed it again, shaking his head. "Fair play, kid."

I only smirked in response.

"How about this: I'll regale you with a story of how I got where I am today, if you'll do the same for me. Sound like a deal?"

I hummed, drumming my fingers against the table as I thought on his words. "Alright, I'll bite. You're going first, though."

Qrow just chuckled, nodding. He flagged the barkeep over to the table and ordered a fresh bottle of whiskey, sliding the woman a bit of Lien when she tried to deny the request.

A moment later, she returned with a bottle and two fresh glasses.

Qrow poured us both drinks, sliding mine across the table. "I suppose the question is where do I begin? Could start with my life before Beacon, or right when I got accepted." I didn't bother to interject, content to let him make up his mind.

He shrugged. "Right, well, as you'd guess, to be a Huntsman I'd have to go to an academy. I was lucky, getting into Beacon and all." He downed his full glass in one go, pouring another for himself. "Damn lucky, especially considering that I had no formal training – never went to Combat School, never even had a formal education. Just part of growing up in the middle of nowhere."

"Me and my sister got in, and as fate would have it, we ended up on the same team." He shook his head, looking past me at the wall for a moment. "Things were good – we never really saw anything major throughout school, just a few missions to go exterminate some Grimm, protect a village, that sort of deal." He shrugged.

"Then, Mountain Glenn happened." He tossed back another full glass, shaking his head. "Thankfully, I wasn't there, and neither were my team. We had other assignments all over Remnant at that point. Made particularly easy because my sister and I could turn into birds and all." He shook his head. "Not the point."

He closed his eyes and seemed to be remembering something. "About a year after we graduated, our team had some… issues. People didn't see eye to eye, and we split up." He barked out a humorless laugh. "Didn't even care, either. She just left."

I was listening carefully, downing my first glass, and pouring another for myself as I listened to the old huntsman's tale.

"Things were rough for a while, but we pulled through – the three of us. We got back to a vague appearance of normalcy, and all was well for a while." He tossed back another drink, swallowing as he seemed to be remembering something. "Funny how things can never just stay normal and happy. Something's always got to happen to fuck it up."

He remained silent for a few moments before continuing. "Our leader, she got killed on a mission. Broke the two of us left completely." He lifted his full glass up slightly, eyeing the liquid. "Suppose that's when I picked up this particular vice."

Qrow knocked back another glass, coughing slightly. "After that, my best friend and only teammate left quit. Told me he couldn't do it anymore, and walked away." He sighed and shook his head. "I kept on, though. Hunted the bastards who killed our leader. I haven't found 'em yet, but I will."

I nodded along, as he continued his story, though once I noted that he didn't seem all that interested in continuing, I saw that as him being done with what he had to say. "Damn, doesn't sound like things went well for you."

He laughed bitterly and nodded. "That's putting it lightly."

I shook my head. "Listening to what you had to deal with makes mine sound like a cakewalk."

Qrow looked up at me. "You're still young, kid. The worst you should have to be dealing with now is girls and failing grades."

I rubbed the back of my head nervously, glancing away from the piercing gaze of the older huntsman. "Yeah, well, I've got one of those things at least?"

Qrow just rolled his eyes. "Alright, out with it, brat. I told you my tale, now you spin me yours."

I swallowed nervously, suddenly realizing that I was on track to tell this Huntsman, a professional and someone who could overpower me in an instant, that I became a criminal of my own free will. Definitely my brightest moment, way to go me.

"Right, well, there's not a lot to say. Not really, at least." I started, finding some nature of comfort in the glass of whiskey that I was clutching in my hands. "I grew up at home, had seven sisters running around, made my life living hell sometimes, but others it was fun."

I took a long drink from my glass, though didn't drain it in one like Qrow had. "Grew up listening to my mom tell me how dad was a great Huntsman and a hero, just like his father before him, and his father, and so on for as long as you'd like to carry on." I shrugged, not bothering to continue on there. "I always wanted to be a Huntsman like my dad, but he always refused to train me. Never thought I had what it took, and just was against the whole idea even though one of my sisters is a Huntress herself."

I found myself staring at the table as I thought. "That always pissed me off, that he'd never bothered to take the time to train me, to teach me anything, but was willing to do so for my sister." I sighed and finished off my glass, pouring another before continuing. "He was always secretive about what he did on his missions, and what happened. I can recall a few times when he'd come home injured rather than going to a hospital, and I don't really know why."

I shook my head again. "That went on for most of my life, wanting to train and become better so that I could become a Huntsman like my dad and make him proud just like he'd done for his dad before him. I did what I could alone, but without any guidance I was shooting in the dark." I shrugged, taking another gulp of the whiskey, finding some solace in the burn in my throat.

"Still though, I was determined. I was going to be a Huntsman. I was going to be a hero, damnit." I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. "So, I did the only thing I could think of: I stole all the Lien we had in the house, packed my bags, and stole my dad's weapon. I came here, and I applied to Beacon."

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek as I thought. "As expected, a random kid with no qualifications, no test scores, no recommendations, no nothing, I got denied." I chuckled mirthlessly and finished off my glass of whiskey, eyeing the bottle as I thought about pouring another. "After that, I was afraid of going back home. Of showing them that they were right – that I was nothing but a weak failure who wouldn't amount to anything in my life."

I thought better of another drink and settled for running a hand through my hair. "I stayed in Vale, lost, without direction. Got myself screwed over, and had not a damn thing to my name but the clothes on my back." I shrugged my shoulders. "That changed when I got caught up in a Dust robbery." That got Qrow's acute attention, the older huntsman leaning forward ever so slightly. "Met Ruby there, too. I was given the option to just take her and get out peacefully, so I did."

I shrugged a shoulder. "After that? Well, I met Roman." I couldn't help but to laugh slightly. "I was nothing, and when he offered me an opportunity that nobody else had, well, who was I to say no? He started training me – unlocked my Aura, taught me how to defend myself, got me back my sword. He turned me from a nobody with no skills into a nobody with the ability to defend himself."

I poured another glass of whiskey for both myself and Qrow, seeing as his was empty. "Things just moved from there, really. I proved myself as not a complete loss, and started to become something worth while in his eyes, I guess. A not failed investment, maybe." I shrugged. "And that leads us to here, I guess. Without him, hell, I'd probably be dead or begging on the street like a bum."

Qrow's gaze shifted from me to the TV in the corner, showing some footage of the exploded port, and an unknown reporter talking to the camera. He shifted his gaze back to me. "You have anything to do with that?"

I pursed my lips. "Would you believe me if I said no?"

"Do I look that stupid?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "No, I suppose not."

Qrow's lips tugged into a slight smile as he knew he had me cornered. "Mind telling me what happened?"

I shrugged. "I don't honestly know. I wasn't in the docks proper when things went down." I nodded towards the TV screen again. "As you've probably heard, a load of Dust was stolen. Several casualties – mostly the White Fang if reports are right, but allegedly two others whose names have yet to be released."

Qrow nodded. "Right. If you weren't in the docks proper, where were you?"

"On the street, running point. I was just a lookout, there to alert the others if the cops showed up." I answered truthfully.

"I've been down there myself. Saw signs of combat out on the street. Care to explain that to me?" Qrow pressed, tossing back another drink.

"There was a fight. I won, and she ran off before Roman arrived." I countered, not wanting to share any details.

Qrow hummed, drumming his fingers on the table as he eyed me. "Mhm. This girl you fought, care to describe her to me?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Why do you care?"

"Call it curiosity."

"And if I don't?"

Qrow just grinned slightly. "Do you really think that's an option?"

The threat was clear. I sighed, relenting. I took a long drink. "Fine. She was a shorter girl, wore a green dress I think, bright orange hair. Talked strangely. There, happy?"

"And you claim you won?"

I rolled my eyes. "She fled the battle, so I'd call that one winning."

The huntsman hummed, nodding his head. "In some ways, yes." He downed his glass easily again, pouring the last of the bottle out for himself. "Did she see your face?"

I furrowed my brows at that. "Why's that matter?"

"Unless ending up on a most wanted list somewhere is high on your list of things to do, that's a pretty big deal." Qrow said, leaning back in his seat slightly.

I bit my lower lip as I thought. _Shit, he's got a point._ "And if she did?"

Qrow just shrugged. "Then hope you got lucky, and she can't remember or describe it well to the police." There was a ghost of a smile on his lips.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. _Is he… Helping me?_ I shook my head, that wouldn't make any sense. At this point, I was just an informant for him, right? Why should he care what happens to me, or if I get arrested? "Right, got it." I said, not all too sure what he was digging at, but a few ideas had popped to mind.

Qrow nodded to me, his arms crossed over his chest as his drink sat on the table untouched since he had poured it. I finished off my own and eyed the empty glass in my hand. Part of me wished for more, while another had a feeling that I was done for the night. Tomorrow's hangover would be the death of me as it was.

"You know, kid, with the news of casualties going around like wildfire, some people might get the wrong idea." He said offhandedly.

I frowned and thought on that. _Wrong idea? Who would get the wrong…_ and then it hit me. Ruby. _Oh shit._ I looked back to the older huntsman and tilted my head slightly. "They might, but I'm sure they'd be able to see reason if it were explained to them."

Qrow shrugged, that same slight smile tugging at his lips for only a brief moment. "Maybe, but who knows?" He reached out and took his glass, downing it in one fell swoop as he had all the others.

"Who knows, indeed." I shot back, leaning back in the rickety old chair I was sat in.

Qrow shrugged, pushing himself up to his feet, stretching his arms up over his head. "Well, you look like you're feeling better. What'd I say? It's always more fun to drink with a friend, and yet again I was proven right."

I watched him as he craned his neck from side to side, pulling several loud pops from each motion. He started walking towards the door, though stopped right beside me, resting a hand on my shoulder and glancing down at me. "Thanks for grabbing the bill, by the way." He said with a mischievous smirk as he left out the front door.

I groaned, shaking my head as I dug out several Lien cards, tossing them on the table. It should be more than enough to cover the bill we had racked up.

I too got to my feet and stretched my arms over my head, groaning slightly at the soreness of my muscles. I yawned, taking out my scroll to find that it was two thirty in the morning.

I waved to the barkeep who smiled and waved back as I left the old bar.

Outside, it was still raining, and had only gotten heavier as time had passed. I wasn't sure how long the two of us had spent in the bar just talking, but it must've been a while. I sighed and shoved my hands into my pockets, hunkering down slightly, wishing that I had a jacket or anything other than just the gray button down and jeans I was wearing.

I felt for my flask, finding that it was empty where it should've been full. I groaned. This had Qrow's doing written all over it. I didn't know how, but he must've been involved.

I sighed and started wandering down the street in the general direction of the apartment, which if I had to hazard a guess would be a solid thirty-minute walk through the rain. Joy.

I let my thoughts start to wander as I walked, needing something to keep myself occupied. They seemed to revolve around Qrow and the conversation we'd just finished. _I don't get it. He's a Huntsman, a professional who'd more than likely get paid a decent price for getting Roman, me and Neo all locked up and gone. Yet, all of tonight we just sat, talked, drank, and he even seemed interested in helping me. Why?_

It didn't make sense. _He seems to be using me as an informant, that much is clear. Would that be why he's trying to help me, to try and keep me out of too much trouble? It almost seemed like he was going to interfere in my name and face getting put out there, not to mention practically saying that either he'd interfere with Ruby, or pushing me to do so._

I groaned, looking up at the weeping sky, feeling the downpour of water crash against my face, it had a slightly sobering effect, but I was still comfortably warm and plenty hazy, so I didn't mind all that much. _Hell, then there's what happened with Neo._ I shook my head, looking back forward as I continued on. _God, I'm a moron. The signs were all there, practically lined in neon lights screaming at me that she was interested, but like the blind man I am, I didn't see it._

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek as I shuffled through the rain. _Didn't see it until after she ran away, assuming that it wasn't mutual._ I barked out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. _I'd be lying if I said she wasn't attractive. She's been with me from the start to boot. Saw me kill my first man, saw me cry when I didn't know what to do, helped me save Ruby, helped me start and end a damned crime war._

I ran my fingers through sopping wet hair, brushing it back and off my forehead. _She only ran away because at the time, I couldn't process what was happening. I couldn't put it together that she meant what she was doing, and that all she wanted – all she needed right then was confirmation._ I groaned, shaking my head. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

I looked up and found that I was stood just in front of our building. I let out a sigh, shaking my head again. _Welp, time to see what's going on and how she's going to react to seeing me again._ I thought as I pushed in and up the stairs to our apartment.

Once I stepped inside, I saw Roman first, stood next to our kitchen table. Along side him were three other people I didn't recognize at all, Not-Jerry, and Neo. Roman glanced back and smiled, nodding to me. Not-Jerry offered a wave, and Neo completely ignored my presence. "Good timing, Jaune. Come, have a look at this." Roman said, waving me over.

I looked down at myself, still sopping wet. "Let me get changed first, and then I'll be there." Roman nodded, waving a dismissive hand as I turned to go get a fresh set of clothes.

I emerged from my room a minute later in shorts and a tee shirt, rubbing a towel over my hair to dry it. As I approached, Not-Jerry almost choked. "Damn, Jaune. You went at it hard." He commented, likely smelling the booze all over me.

I shrugged. "Happens." I said, stepping in next to Roman. "So, what's up?"

I looked over the table, and on it was an image of a long train. The first thing that caught my eye was some sort of massive mech like vehicle stepping up onto one of the cars, and another that had been compacted down sitting in a crate.

Roman was watching me and grinned. "Those, my dear apprentice, are what's up."

I rose a brow, looking back at the train. It had well over a dozen cars, almost all of which had similar boxes lined up on them. My gaze shifted back to Roman, a slight smile tugging at my lips. "I take it we've got a train to rob?"

Roman's grin threatened to split his face in two, nodding. "We've got a train to rob."

I looked up at all the others, similar grins on their lips as they all inevitably knew what was coming. I glanced to Roman for a moment who looked up, seeing my silent question. "Ah, right. Jaune, this is my crew." He said, waving a hand towards the three unknown people. "Boys, this is Jaune, my apprentice."

The first man, tall, gruff, and muscular smiled warmly and nodded towards me. "Pleasure to meet you, Jaune. Name's Winston – I'm your demolitions expert." He had a full head of curly brown hair, as well as a full beard that didn't look like it got trimmed much.

The second was a woman, around my height with blond hair and blue eyes. She nodded towards me, offering a slight smile. "Jess. I'm something of a tech wizard."

The last man was bald, his head completely shaved. He wore a slight stubbly beard, but that was it. He was far shorter than me and was more on the bulky side. "Call me Jack, like the name implies; good at everything, master of nothing."

I nodded, glancing to Not-Jerry who I of course knew, as well as Neo who was still pointedly ignoring me completely. That hurt slightly, but I wasn't going to cause a scene.

Roman cleared his throat. "Right, introductions out of the way, let's get down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a train to rob; more specifically, we wand those mechs. They're Atlas Military's secret new toy, and I'd just _love_ to give them a little test drive."

Everyone nodded with Roman's statement, all thinking of the things they could accomplish with those at their fingertips.

Roman continued on, giving us some information. "This train will be departing the city of Atlas in a week's time. By the time it does, we want to be on the ground ready to intercept it." Roman produced another rolled up document and laid it out for us. This one was of train lines through Atlas. "We know that it'll be running on this line here." He said, pointing out the red line snaking through the mountains ending at the coast.

"Now, I propose that we intercept them here," he said, tapping his finger on the plains about a hundred miles out from the city. "There's nothing around for miles – perfect place to intercept them, offload the cargo, and leave. It'd be days before they realized something was wrong." He paused a moment before continuing. "From there, we trek up to the coast, just like the train line would've. We load these bad boys onto a freighter and we're set."

I frowned, eyeing the area. Roman was right, it would be several days before anyone found the train, but that assumed that an emergency signal didn't go out as soon as we stopped the train. If it did, we'd have mere hours before Atlas crashed down on us. I glanced towards Roman. "We know what kind of security it's got? Alarms, guards, traps, anything like that?"

Roman nodded. "It'll have the former two. An emergency beacon will go out as soon as the train is stopped, though that's where Jess comes in – she should be able to disarm it before things go wrong."

"And the guards?" I asked, studying the train line still, a plan of my own forming in my head.

"Robots, their newest Knight model, or something like that. Should be no trouble."

I pursed my lips, shaking my head. "And what if we can't disable the emergency signal?"

"You trying to imply something there, bub?" Jess questioned, glaring at me.

I met her gaze with my own. "Not even slightly. I'm giving Atlas, the world tech leader, the credit they deserve. Do you know where the alarm is, what model they're using, how to disarm it before things go tits up?"

Jess bit her lower lip. "Tech leader or not, I've disabled plenty of their stuff in past. Doubt they've made it that much harder since last time." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

I nodded. "Right, but they have inevitably made it harder, and you have yet to see the alarm yourself. I'm not saying that you won't be able to disarm it, but what if you can't?" I looked back to Roman who was regarding me with interest. "Where you're proposing is safest assuming everything goes _right_. But if things don't? We'll have Atlas come down on our heads like a ton of bricks, and we'll all be fucked."

Roman produced a cigar, seemingly from nowhere as per usual, and lit it up, still eyeing me. "Alright, then what's your genius plan if mine's so bad?"

I pursed my lips and looked back to the map of rails through Atlas. I tapped on a spot where the train would be running through a valley of two mountains. "Here." I paused for a moment before continuing. "While it takes our time frame from days before they realize something's wrong to only a day at best, it puts a load of distance between us and the capital. Even if things go wrong, the nearest military instillation is at the end of the train line. They'd have to get through the mountains to the train just to find out what was wrong."

I paused, chewing on my lower lip. "I'd also say that in the case things do go wrong, we don't want to have to try and trek those mechs through the mountains at all. Maybe take them by Bullhead out over the sea, and then hand them off to the freighter. Bullheads would make the whole ordeal much faster, meaning we won't get caught with our pants down."

I glanced up from the map to Roman who was nodding along. "Play it safe, minimize the risk at the cost of potentially having to give up a few of the mechs." I nodded. Roman took a puff off his cigar. "Alright, the next question I have is where are we going to get Bullheads?"

It was Not-Jerry who spoke up. "Well, I know Junior has some contacts over in Atlas who might be able to supply those, not to mention we'd probably be bringing one or two for our own transport to Atlas."

Roman nodded. "I'll ask him about that later, then. Next question, how many of us can _pilot_ a Bullhead?"

I looked around, finding that Neo, Not-Jerry, Roman and Jack all had their hands raised.

"So, four of us. Four Bullheads, and that flight would take a couple hours to the freighter and back. Worst case we get a dozen, and best we'd get the majority of the train." Roman hummed as he thought, eyeing the spot I had indicated. He started nodding subtly as he puffed on his cigar, glancing over to me. "Not a bad plan."

Roman looked to all the others in the room. "All in favor of hitting them in the plains?" Jess and Neo both raised their hands. "And in favor of the mountains?" Roman, Not-Jerry, Winston, Jack, and I all raised our hands.

Roman grinned, clapping his hands together. "That settles it. We'll hit that train in the mountains then." He took another puff off his cigar. "Pack your winter clothes, boys and girls. We're going to Atlas."

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**Buckle up, boys and girls. We're going to Atlas next chapter, and it's gonna be SO MUCH FUN. Train Heist here we come.**

**I had a hard time finding the dynamic I wanted with Jaune and Qrow for this chapter, to the point that this is the sixth rendition of the two drinking together. I think what was really hard about it for me was that the two interacting like this isn't in my outline so I have nothing to really base it on other than what comes to mind at the time.**

**And, onward we charge headfirst into the reviews! Huzzah!**

**Guest (1) - Silent Knight indeed, my friend.**

**Makurayami - This is true, Penny doesn't have any legal authority, but then again, Jaune doesn't know that. He doesn't and didn't know that she has no power in Vale, he just assumed she was a Huntress and could arrest him like she planned on.**

**The Path of a Writer - Back in chapter one. I'm glad my Chapter 1 characters weren't too out of the ordinary. I was real afraid of that at the time. And, when you see this, you'll know there was a bit of reason he sold his sword. I didn't explain everything in Ch. 1 as you'll no doubt know by the time you get here. And yeah, looking back at it, he shouldn't have just instantly accepted what he'd done, but that's in the past now. If I ever come back to the story and do some revamping of the early chapters which kinda need it imo, that'll see a change. Glad you like what I've got so far, and I hope to see you in reviews again, friend!**

**Ancient Irish Viking - Glad you liked it. He doesn't have an end goal yet, but it'll show up relatively soon. Right now, he's still enjoying the fact that he came out on top and kinda is winning. Don't worry, things will fall in to place soon.**

**The Exiled Darkness - Alas, my friend. It wasn't fated to be. As I publish more stories, it's inevitable that Lancaster will show up somewhere, especially considering that it's my favorite ship. Right, see, I know Roman's a criminal and one of the big bads in the story, but to me he never seemed that evil to go around killing innocents or kids. Not unless it absolutely could not be avoided. It's good that Jaune is seeing that, too. He needs to know that while Roman might be lawless, he's not heartless. I definitely don't condone murder either or criminality as some things in this story might sorta imply, especially being in the first person, but I don't. All for the sake of a good story and all that. I'm a little off track, but oh well.**

**Engineer - Being honest, the idea came to me after scrolling through Deviant Art and seeing one post of Jaune with more armor and a blue tabard or coat or something. The rest of the outfit just kinda came after that, as did his modified weapon. Boring is good, and I'm sure Juane knows that now. I'm proud that our boi managed to do as well as he did against Penny. Though part of that is because to me, she wouldn't have much training against human opponents. She'd be much more proficient against the predictable Grimm. That was one of her first encounters with someone who's not as predictable. I won't say why she fled, but you've got some solid ideas. After Qrow's basically telling him he knew? Yeah, I bet Jaune's more than a little conscious of Penny knowing exactly who he is. The casualties, yeah. That's bad, and completely contradictory to what Roman said. Hmm. And, well, you're right. Qrow's not good for girl advice. On the money with what Qrow was interested in, though. Well done. And lastly, thanks man. It sucks, but we're all managing in our own ways.**

**2AM Guest - My god, he's back and later than 2AM. I feel lied to. - Jokes aside, though. All good, man. Just glad you're back around and still enjoying. You're right, I am evil. I am despicable for what I did to best girl and Jaune, but it was all for the sake of a good story. I don't think we know how old she is, but I'd hazard a guess and say like early 20s, but who knows. Rooster Teeth could prove me wrong, or we do know and I'm just blind. I'll take those internet cookies, thank you much. Drunk shenanigans, sorta. Not really. When I started I wanted it to be more light hearted, but that just didn't really fit and so I went for more serious. Hey, if you want to bribe me with real cookies anyway, I won't say no. I'm not really pushing myself, just falling back into the swing of things, really. It feels nice to write again after a couple weeks.**

**Imperial Germany - Well, I'd think the first issue with you kissing me is that you're kinda a whole-ass country all wrapped up in one account. But yes, Silent Knight was the winner, glad you're happy to see it.**

**X3 - The Silent Knight ship has left the port, just before Roman blew it up. Nice. I've been a fan of this ship for a long time, but most of the fics I see with it don't really do it right with a yandere Neo, or Jaune being witless and useless. I know there are good ones, and I've read several, but I wanted to give my take on it. Jaune and Neo did make a good team vs Penny, but yeah, she is like the Terminator, and that was the point. Wanted her to be a bit spooky.**

**G-Unot - ReEeEeE. I sEe GeNuInE cRiTiSiM. rEeEeE. - Alright, poor attempts at humor aside, glad you're enjoying, my friend. And thanks for the pointer. Even though I've been writing for fun for years, I had no idea I was screwing that up this whole time. Much appreciated, and I'll try to keep them straight from here on. Get ready google, I've got the weary vs wary ready to be typed up a hundred times before it sticks.**

**Deku Momiya - This is true, either way though, Roman will have a lot to say about how Jaune develops. Good person or otherwise, really.**

**Luis Endz - Glad you enjoyed, friend. I can say I didn't know it was Martial Arcs. Hell, I picked up Golden Lotus off someone here in the reviews, I think. Thanks for the info, though. I'll keep that in mind for future.**

**Specter - Yeah, sorry chief. Didn't mean to make ya' panic. I appreciate it, really. We're all dealing with it in different ways, and mine happens to be throwing myself into writing. Glad you like my story that much, the praise is real nice and makes me smile.**

**And reviews done.**

**God, this has been such a wild ride for me. Just writing this all, and a lot of it coming from random inspiration. Anything to do with Qrow is just off the cuff, as was almost the whole gang war arc. Originally there was just a big blanket time skip there to where we were last chapter with Jaune vs Penny. Looking at it now, I can't imagine not having that gang war arc. It makes the story feel more whole, I guess? Dunno.**

**And I know I say thank you all so much, but damnit I really mean it. All the support, both for the story and me when I'm having a sort of real rough time just makes my heart swell, like, y'all are amazing. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. We're just past 400 favs, and right on the cusp of 600 follows which just blows my mind, but makes me feel all kinds of tingly and good inside. You're all fantastic, so thanks for the support.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, June 21st**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here we are on a Friday with another chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 18]

Three days.

We had three days until the train would be right under our feet.

I was, understandably, nervous. I mean, sure I'd been involved in heists before, I'd stolen Dust and knocked over a few shops with Roman, but that was nothing in comparison to what we would be doing here. This was a whole different beast.

I stood outside the small compound that we had 'appropriated' from its previous inhabitants. Flurries of snow surrounded me as I rocked back on my heels, simply watching the snow-capped peaks, almost as though I expected something to come rushing out of them at any moment.

I sighed, taking a long drink from my flask that was now about half empty. In spite of the cold, the liquor provided its comforting warmth as it always had.

Behind me, the door into the bunker shuddered open, an ear piercing creak echoed out as the hinges struggled. I glanced back at the door and saw Not-Jerry take a step out.

He, like the rest of us, had gotten a thicker set of clothes for this particular outing. Not-Jerry had abandoned the goon suit that Junior provided to all his men in favor of a similarly black getup consisting of a thick winter coat, snow pants, and heavy boots. He nodded at me, throwing his weight against the door to get it closed once again.

I couldn't help but to chuckle slightly, shaking my head. He came to be standing next to me, digging down into one of his pockets, he produced a box of cigarettes and an engraved steel lighter. "Care for a smoke?" He asked, tucking one between his lips.

I shook my head, waving a dismissive hand. "I'll keep to drinking for my vice, thanks though."

He shrugged, lighting up the cigarette and tucking the box and lighter away once again. "Suit yourself." He said, blowing smoke out through his nose. "What's got you standing out here on your own?"

I shrugged, hand resting on the hilt of Crocea Mors as I let my gaze wander the landscape. "Just thinking, I guess."

Not-Jerry nodded beside me. "I know how that is." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Your first big heist, and one with the best of the best no less. On top of that, its your plan being put to action – seems like a load of stress, right?"

I nodded. "That about covers it."

He took another draw off his cigarette before continuing. "I'm in the same boat, you know. Few months back, I was a nobody, just another one of Junior's faceless goons who did what I was told." He shrugged a shoulder, a slight smile crossing his lips. "Then you showed up, started causing hell, and I got a chance to show my worth."

Not-Jerry chuckled again. "After that whole ordeal with Baxton and all, kicking his crew to the dirt, Junior gave me a bit of responsibility. Then, I hear from the boss man that Roman is planning something big, something worth our while." He paused once again, seeming to think. "A good word, and being on your good side, next thing I know Roman's brought me in to this shit show."

I hummed noncommittally, rocking on my feet as the cold bit at me harshly. "You make it sound like I'm the reason you rose up in the ranks."

He nodded once again. "That's 'cause you are. Without you causing a shit storm, I'd have remained a faceless goon." He paused to think, shaking his head. "Off topic, the point I was trying to make is that you're not the only one nervous here. I'm right in that boat with you – feels like I'm in over my head."

I chuckled, nodding along with his sentiment. "I've felt that way since I started a gang war."

"And look how far you've come since then. Don't sweat it, Jaune. You'll be fine." He said reassuringly.

I nodded, still rocking on my feet nervously. Maybe he was right, and I'd be just fine, or maybe he was wrong and this would all go to hell because of an oversight that I didn't see.

Not-Jerry flicked his cigarette butt down into the snow, stamping it out for good measure. "You should come inside. Jack's got something good cooking."

I nodded, still looking out over the mountains. "Right, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Not-Jerry just sighed, turning towards the ever stubborn door. "Suit yourself, man."

I heard the door slowly scrape open, and then a moment later scrape closed once again. I let out a puff of breath, watching it mist before my eyes, snow still falling all around me. _Are you really ready for this? A massive heist on a military transport train with a plan you came up with after only a few minutes of thinking. Is this the best course of action? What happens if something goes wrong, the alarm goes off, a Bullhead gets taken down, someone gets injured._

I groaned, gripping the bridge of my nose and shaking my head. _No, no. You can't stress about the what ifs – these are professionals, Roman's go to crew. If things turn sideways, I'm sure we'll be able to adapt and deal with it. We don't have a choice, really._

My stomach let out a low growl, getting me to realize that I was, in fact, hungry. Damn Not-Jerry for mentioning food… I could've stood out here and been a moody teenager for a while longer.

I made for the door, struggling to pull it open, the hinges screeching and groaning in complaint as the thick steel ground against the concrete on the floor.

I slipped inside, pulling the door closed behind me with some effort. Down the hallway of the bunker we were using as our base of operations, I could hear some quiet music playing, as well as conversation between the other inhabitants.

The next thing that hit me was the smell of something delicious, making my stomach growl once again in anticipation.

With a shrug, I followed the smell down the hallways, slipping past the open door where Jess, Roman, Not-Jerry, and Winston were all sat down playing cards. I took note of the fact that Roman had suspiciously gathered what looked to be the vast majority of Lien cards in his pile.

My feet led me into the kitchen a few doors down from where everyone else was. Inside, Jack was chopping up a couple of carrots, with a pot of something stewing behind him.

He glanced up when he heard me come wandering in. He offered a toothy grin, one which was missing a few teeth altogether. "Ah, John, finally come in from brooding out in the snow?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's Jaune, and I was not brooding."

He just snickered, shaking his head. "Whatever you say, John. Whatever you say."

I thought about correcting him again, but had a sinking suspicion that it'd be the same scenario with Not-Jerry – just reversed on me. "What's dinner?"

Jack finished chopping his carrots and turned, dumping the sliced vegetable into the pot behind him. "Beef stew. Won't be ready for another half hour or so, I figure."

I hummed, leaning back against the doorframe. "Need any help?" It was better than letting Roman cheat me out of Lien, at least.

Jack thought for a moment as he bustled about the kitchen, finding the ingredients he needed from various cabinets and boxes. "If you're offering, you can come dice onions – save me the hassle."

I shrugged, pushing farther into the kitchen, taking the proffered onion and knife from him. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't offering."

He chuckled and let me get to work on the cooking, scuttling off into the kitchen to find something else to do. "How'd you get into cahoots with Roman? You don't strike me as the type for crime."

I hummed, peeling the outer layer off the onion. "By chance, really. He found me in a bar, thought me interesting, picked me up and gave me a shot. Few months later, and here I am."

"What made you interesting? Steal something out from under him, do him a favor, something like that?" He pressed, throwing a handful of spice into the pot.

I shrugged my shoulders, starting to dice the onion I had been handed. "Dunno. Helped him in a small shop heist, but that was really it. Only got a civilian out so he didn't have to deal with them."

"Ever thought of asking him? Might give you the answers you're looking for." He pointed out, stirring the pot of stew.

"I was told never to look a gift horse in the mouth, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious." I admitted, dicing the onion into small chunks.

"Sounds like what my dad used to say, though it's not like I ever listened to him. Better to know than be blind, y'know?" He said, offering a glance over his shoulder at me.

I hummed, nodding my head slightly. I finished dicing the onion and brought it over to the pot, scraping it all in. "You've got a point, yeah."

He grinned and clapped me on the shoulder. "Then ask, see what caught his attention."

I shrugged, setting the knife and cutting board aside. "Makes me wonder – how'd you get involved with Roman?"

Jack had started stirring the pot once again. "Through the Family. By random chance in a lot of ways – could've been any shmuck who got paired with him, but it was me."

I frowned, tilting my head slightly. "The Family?"

He nodded, glancing over towards the counter where various spices had been laid out. "Grab the salt and black peppercorns if you would." He said, looking back to the stew. "The Family though, they were the top dogs of Vale for a long while, ran the whole city – both underground operations and legal establishments."

He took the two bottles I handed him, sprinkling some into his hand before dumping it into the pot. "I was working repossessions for them. Y'know, getting cars back when people couldn't make payments, or collecting debts, or any of a dozen other things I did." He shrugged. "At one point, we got hired out to do a job with Roman."

Jack chuckled at the memory, shaking his head. "Things turned south real quick, and it was just complete chaos. Roman, though, was calm and collected. Pulled us out – guy would've gotten shot in the back if I hadn't pulled him out of the way." He shrugged. "Since then, he's put me on his payroll – helped me out a load when the Family collapsed into the two dozen gangs around the city we've got today."

I nodded along, listening to his story. "Sounds like you go back a few years then."

He nodded, taking a taste of the stew. "Four or five years, yeah. Good man, Roman. Better than most, even being a criminal." He took another ladle full of stew and offered it to me. "Take a taste – I'm thinking we're just about done here."

I took a taste of the stew, and while not nearly as good as what mom would make us, it was still pretty damn good in my opinion. "It's good."

He hummed, dunking the ladle back into the pot. "Alright, if it's got the clearance from both the chefs, then I'd call it done." He said with a grin.

I chuckled and shrugged. "I didn't do much, just chopped a few vegetables."

He nodded again. "You did plenty enough. Always nice to have someone around when you're cooking, either to help of just chat – helps you relax and pass time a bit quicker."

I shrugged, recalling more than a few times when mom would yell at my sisters and I to get out from underfoot when she was cooking. "If you say so."

He grinned. "That's the spirit. Now, c'mon, lets go feed the starving masses out there."

I chuckled, letting him take the pot off the burner and out towards the others. I grabbed bowls and spoons for us all, as well as a box of crackers, for those who thought the stew needed it.

As I stepped into the common room I was greeted by a chorus of groans and grumbles, followed by the melodic laughter of Roman. A quick glance down at the table revealed that Roman had acquired the Lien from basically everyone other than Not-Jerry who had a fair stack of his own piling up. Roman had just shown his hand of two kings while the other two were face up on the table, along with a two, a five, and a jack.

"You know, Roman, it's more fun when you _don't _cheat." Jess grumbled, leaning back in her chair.

Roman had a very put on shocked expression, placing a hand on his chest. "Me? Cheat? Why, Jess, I'm hurt! I would never cheat!"

I couldn't help but to roll my eyes at Roman's performance, getting a few snickers out of Not-Jerry and Jack.

Jess just waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah. Cut the crap, Roman." She turned to eye both me and Jack with a slight smile. "We've got dinner."

It took a moment to clear the table of Roman's amassed Lien cards and the cards that were laid out on the table, though once it was clear, Jack put the massive pot in the middle as I handed bowls out to everyone.

I glanced around, having a spare bowl in hand. "Where's Neo?" I asked, not seeing her anywhere in the room.

Roman shrugged. "Haven't seen her for a couple hours. My guess is sleeping – go wake her up." He said to me.

I pursed my lips, shaking my head. "I'd rather not end up with a hole in my chest, thank you very much."

Roman just rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, kid. You're probably the only person here who won't end up with a hole in your chest."

I sighed, seeing that there was no point in arguing with him. "If you hear screams of bloody murder, mind coming to stop my untimely death?"

Roman rubbed his chin as he waited to fill his bowl. "I'll think about it, now go."

With marching orders in hand, I set down the two bowls and made towards the bunks we had set up in the bunker.

I closed my eyes and ran fingers through my hair, shaking my head. _She's not interested in talking to you – that was made abundantly clear the whole Bullhead ride, and while we were back in Vale, too._

I stood in front of her door and knocked a few times on the metal. "Neo? We've got food if you're hungry." I called out as the knocking rang into her room.

No response.

I groaned, knowing that Roman would just send me back to drag her out if I went back now.

I knocked again. "C'mon, Neo. If you're not hungry, just say and I'll leave you alone."

Still, no response. Not even a sound.

With a sigh, I rested a hand on the doorknob. _Be ready for evasive maneuvers._ "I'm coming in, alright?"

I didn't expect a response, and I didn't receive one. I pushed open the door slowly, finding that the lights were off in the room.

I pursed my lips and flicked the switch on, the dim bulb hanging over the room flickering to life and illuminating the room in a slight yellowish hue.

Lying there in bed was Neo, curled into a ball beneath a few layers of blankets and clutching a pillow to her chest. I couldn't help but to smile ever so slightly at the scene – it was damned adorable.

I let out a slight breath and took a few steps closer to her bed. "Hey, Neo, if you want dinner it's ready."

Again, no response. She remained curled up and asleep beneath her covers.

I ran my fingers through my hair again, letting out a breath of air. I reached out and gently rested a hand on her shoulder, comforted by the fact that she didn't shatter into glass this time. I gently shook her, getting the tiny assassin to stir slightly. "C'mon, wake up." I murmured quietly.

It took a moment, but she eventually opened her eyes, squinting past the light that assaulted her at me. It only took her a second to realize it was me here waking her up, and the squint turned into a glare. She shrugged my hand off her shoulder and sat up, still clothed beneath the covers.

Without even bothering to acknowledge my existence, she got up out of bed and towards the door, continuing to ignore me. I bit my lower lip as I watched her, taking a seat on her bed.

"Neo, wait." I said as she was reaching for the door, getting her to pause, though not look back at me.

I sighed, shaking my head as I ran my fingers through my hair again. _It's now or never._ "Listen, I know I fucked up, and I get that you're upset with me because of what I didn't do, I guess." I paused a moment, pursing my lips. "I just… I guess I'm trying to say sorry."

I closed my eyes as I continued on. "It never really occurred to me, y'know? I mean, I'm just me – some bumbling idiot who stumbled his way into a life of crime he didn't ask for, and you're… fuck, well, you're you. The great assassin, Roman's most trusted ally, and probably most badass fighter I know." I laughed, shaking my head.

I heard the sounds of soft footsteps against the concrete, and I looked up, seeing Neo stood right in front of me.

Without warning, she brought her knee up and into my stomach, making me double over and groan. "Yeah… I deserved that…" I muttered quietly, trying to regain the breath she just knocked out of me.

She brought that same knee up and into my jaw, clacking it closed rather painfully. I groaned again. "And that too…" I intoned, getting the feeling I'd be taking a few more easy shots from her.

What I wasn't prepared for, though, was her to take my chin in hand and force me to look up at her. Confused, I blinked a few times and made to open my mouth and ask what she was doing, but I was cut off.

She pressed her lips hard against mine, and rather than lock up, I fell into said kiss.

It was only a second, but I'll be damned if it didn't feel longer than that. She pulled back and glared at me, though there wasn't any real severity behind it.

I nodded, pushing myself up to my feet. "Message received."

Neo smiled slightly and nodded, turning and marching out of her room in search of dinner.

[-/-]

_"Alright, boys and girls. It's show time."_ The voice of Roman crackled from the earpiece I and the rest of the crew had for easy communication.

_"Let's show Atlas what we're made of!"_ Winston shouted out, clearly hyped and ready.

It was pitch black outside, hardly past two in the morning if I had to guess at all. We had been split into teams, each with specific goals.

I had been paired with Jess and Not-Jerry. We were to make our way on to the train, fight through whatever security was present and disable the alarm system before we stopped the train.

Neo and Jack were paired together, their goal to secure the cargo area from whatever security they encountered.

Last was Roman and Winston, the two who were headed towards the front of the train, ready to stop it once we had the emergency beacon disabled.

In theory, everything went smoothly and this was an easy heist, though the actuality was likely to be much, much harder.

I was dressed in a black winter jacket thick enough to keep the cold out. Beneath it was the armor I had made for me, just in case things went south and I needed the protection. I was also in a similar black set of snow pants to keep me from freezing, as well as a pair of heavy boots. I wore my hood pulled up over my head, and covering my face was a mask.

It had occurred to me after my conversation with Qrow that while he might be willing to protect me from showing up once on the VPD radar, I doubted he'd be able to keep my name off international news when it was inevitably known this train was robbed. Thus, the mask.

It was simple, a plain gunmetal gray mask. It looked human like, that much was evident. It focused on sharp edges for most of the design, with a broad nose and a cut in smile that made even me feel uneasy at the sight of it. There were some stylizations on it, patterns carved in for sake of aesthetic. The blacksmith who made it for me had called it 'The Virtuoso'.

Not-Jerry's mask was far more whimsical in nature, though no less unsettling. He had gone for a clown mask, similarly made of metal painted primarily white. The face wasn't even remotely natural, the forehead caving in on both the left and right with bright pink stretching from the eyebrows up past the caved in forehead. The nose looks far too wrinkled and large while flattening out to a simple circle rather than ending as a nose should. The smile stretched from edge to edge of the mask, and its lips were painted red, almost like blood.

Jess' mask was far simpler. She wore a plain hockey mask, though like both mine and Not-Jerry's, hers was made of metal for that slight extra protection. Hers was painted a slight golden hue, though it wasn't shining – duller, or perhaps closer to bronze in nature.

They were dressed similarly to me, making our figures hard to distinguish from one another, the only thing signaling who we were being our masks.

I looked between my two compatriots, nodding to them. "We're ready to move, Roman."

_"Ready here, too, chief."_ Jack called out over the mic.

_"Without further ado then. Ladies and gentlemen – let's rob this train."_ Roman called out.

Without hesitation, we got on the move. The train was rapidly approaching our current location just a few feet away from the tracks, it was easily heard echoing out from the tunnel it was in. I glanced back to my two partners who both nodded as they kept pace behind me.

I swallowed any nerves I had building and let out a sigh as the train came rushing out of the tunnel. _It's go time._

The three of us took a running start and leapt from the slight embankment we were waiting on to the first train car we could. It was difficult, with the train moving at a high rate of speed, it wasn't exactly the safest, nor easiest thing in the world to leap onto from a complete stand still.

Despite that, though, all three of us landed on the open car, surrounded by large wooden crates strapped down to the floor.

I drew Crocea Mors and shifted her into the rifle form, ready for any security we were likely to encounter.

I was set to take point, with Jess in the middle and Not-Jerry taking up the rear.

The three of us pushed forward slowly, keeping on watch for any of the Atlas robots we'd be likely to encounter as security.

The open air cargo cart we had landed on showed none of our adversary, though I suspected that would change once we set foot into the enclosed section of the train.

We came to the door into our enclosed section, and with a glance back to my teammates, I got nods from both pushing me to storm the cart.

I threw the door open, raising my rifle to my shoulder immediately, expecting a gunfight to break out.

I was right, almost immediately, bullets began ringing out from the cart in our direction. Without hesitation, I started firing back, pressing into the cart with my Aura up and prepared for a bullet that might hit.

I glanced around, and found myself confronted with about six of these security bots, slick white designs with black screens where a human's face normally would be.

I growled lowly and dove for what little cover I could find, leaving me crouching down behind a set of seats that would've been for human passengers were there any. Jess and Not-Jerry both joined me in diving for their own cover, leaving us separated ever so slightly as we engaged in a gunfight with the bots.

I popped up from my cover and fired a round, managing to shoot one of the bots in the chest. The fire dust round exploded on impact, sending the bot flying back with a large hole in its chest. Immediately after, though, I was forced to duck back behind cover as a wave of gunfire rained down on where my head had just been.

Jess growled and popped out from behind cover, unloading her simple sub machine gun into the body of a bot before it had the chance to react. While that was happening, the remaining three turned to focus their fire on her. Not-Jerry and I both took that time to pop out from cover and fire down on them, taking two down in the process.

Jess just barely managed to duck back as a bullet pinged right next to her head, the woman having managed to duck just in time. Not-Jerry turned his weapon then to fire on the last remaining bot, dismantling it after three pistol rounds to the head.

I got to my feet, feeling the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I glanced back at my teammates. "Everyone okay?"

They both nodded, feeling that same rush of exhilaration as I was.

I turned back to the defeated bots, keeping my rifle ready should more show themselves.

We pressed on, keeping close to one another, ready incase another firefight broke out.

Further along the train, on both sides, we could hear the sounds of gunshots and fighting. We could only assume that the others were doing well, and that all was going according to plan.

We pressed forward, into the next cart. "This one should have our emergency beacon." I murmured, more or less to myself. We only had second hand intel to go on, as well as old schematics of the train. This was where it _should_ be, but that wasn't a guaranteed thing.

I threw open the door, once again expecting bots to greet us.

None were present.

Feeling slightly more at ease, then, Jess pushed forward, finding that the beacon was in fact here.

It was a terminal interface with a keyboard that folded out from the wall for her to interact with.

On edge, I eyed her as she started tapping away at the terminal. "Think you can disarm it?" I asked, the nervousness bleeding into my voice.

"Probably, just a question of what new toys Atlas put in here for me to find…" She said, a tinge of irritation in her voice at having to answer questions from someone who didn't know what was going on.

I shot a glance to Not-Jerry who only shrugged and moved to cover the door closer to the front of the train. I sighed, deciding that it'd be best if we just left her to do her thing. I came to the back door, covering that entrance much like Not-Jerry was on the front.

_"How're we doing on that beacon, Jess?"_ Roman asked, sounding nonchalant and bored.

_"Two minutes, tops."_ She responded, sounding annoyed that people were still interrupting her.

Roman didn't respond, letting the woman work.

All sounds of gunfire had stopped on the train, and that had me nervous, even slightly on edge. _This feels too easy. Boring is good, but still… It feels like we should've had more resistance._ I knew, somewhere, that thinking like that would get us jinxed again, but I couldn't help it. Something was wrong.

_"You're good to go, Roman."_ Jess said over the mic, taking a step away from the terminal.

Rather suddenly, the train's wheels started to screech against the tracks they ran on, and I was thrown forward, not ready for the sudden shift in momentum. Jess and Not-Jerry both snickered at me, getting me to just roll my eyes at them, even if they couldn't see it.

I grumbled as I pulled myself up to my feet, shaking my head. "That's our job done – now let's go meet with the others." I said, getting nods from my companions.

[-/-]

It was slow going, getting the mechs off the train and to the freighter waiting for us on the other side of the mountain. Jess, Winston and I had been left behind as the others went to piloting their Bullheads. It was simple enough, they take the mechs, and we wire the train to blow sky high once we're done with it.

The three of us had finished our objective about an hour ago, leaving us to sit and waste time, waiting for Roman to be satisfied with how many of these things he got his hands on.

In total, I'd guess we had about twelve taken from the train, with easily another eight waiting on transport.

It was slow going – slow and painful for those of us not piloting the Bullheads.

Jess had decided that she'd use this time to take a nap, leaning back against one of the walls with her eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest.

Winston and I were standing guard, in a matter of speaking. As it turns out, I wasn't the only one who thought something felt wrong.

The two of us were stood just outside the car that Jess was out cold in, battling the bone chilling wind and quickly layering snow all around us. It wasn't pleasant, but it was better than doing nothing.

Silence, other than the howling wind in the valley, enraptured the two of us. It was, well, it was awkward. When I met him the first time, he seemed far more friendly – and again during the three days before the mission, he was plenty willing to laugh and joke.

But now?

He was a stone wall – completely impassive and focused only on what had to be done. In some ways, he reminded me of my dad, being closed off and keeping to himself. It wasn't a bad thing, but it didn't make this any less uncomfortable for me at the least.

I sighed, letting my hand rest on the hilt of Crocea Mors hanging at my side. That feeling of something being off still haunted me. It was too easy – minimal guards, all of which were easily dispatched. And then the emergency beacon handled like it was child's play.

It didn't feel like we were dealing with Atlas, the world's foremost superpower. It felt like we were dealing with a load of misguided children who didn't know what they had gotten themselves into.

In the distance, I could see a bright light coming from a point hanging in the sky. I narrowed my eyes, elbowing Winston in the side. "See that?" I asked, nodding towards the light that was growing ever closer.

He grunted, turning to eye the approaching light.

"Think it's a Bullhead?"

He huffed. "Unless Nevermores have grown spotlights recently, that's all it can be."

I rolled my eyes. There's the dry humor I'd heard from him over the past few days. "Military, then?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Can't tell." He turned to look at me. "Go, wake Jess. Better safe than sorry."

I nodded, leaving Winston alone to watch the incoming Bullhead.

Inside, Jess had flopped over and curled herself into a ball on the floor. I couldn't help but to chuckle slightly, especially considering she liked to put on the big and tough exterior.

I walked over and nudged her side with my boot, getting the woman to groan and shift away from my boot. "Get up, you can sleep later. We've got a Bullhead incoming."

She groaned again. "… five more minutes…"

I sighed and nudged her again. "Get up, Jess."

She didn't respond, just curled tighter into her ball.

I shook my head. _You forced my hand._ I thought as I delivered a sharper kick to her side, getting her to cough a bit as grumble as she opened eyes to glare at me.

"The hell was that for?" She asked, debating on kicking me back, likely.

I glared right back at her. "Waking you up. We've got a Bullhead incoming. Put your mask on and meet us outside." I said, turning back on a heel and marching back out into the snow with Winston.

The Bullhead had grown much closer now, to the point that I could hear the rotors cutting through the wind as it powered forwards towards us. It was hard to get any details on the ship, considering it was still pitch black out, making it all but impossible for us to tell if it was military or just a passing civilian ship.

A minute later, Jess came stomping out of the cart, her arms crossed under her bust as she was inevitably glaring at me from beneath her mask.

"Sleeping beauty finally wakes." Winston commented as he kept his gaze trained on the encroaching Bullhead.

"Ha ha, very funny, smart ass." She commented, following our gaze to the Bullhead. "So, what's the deal, then? We dealing with military goons?"

I shrugged. "We don't know. Could just as easily be a civilian ship – thought it better safe than sorry to wake you."

She nodded. "Right, so you mean to tell me we don't know a damn thing about this incoming Bullhead?"

"That's correct." Winston responded.

"Fantastic." She said sarcastically.

Now, the Bullhead had come close enough for the spotlight it had to land on the train, scanning it from back to front with the bright headlight. I glanced to the other two, drawing my sword and deploying the shield. Jess had her SMG ready, while Winston had some nature of shotgun that fired explosive rounds, because of course it did.

It hardly took a minute for the spotlight to hover over the three of us, and what a sight we must've been. Three black clad and masked figures standing armed and ready on a stopped train that was carrying dangerous, top secret Atlas Military weapons.

The Bullhead came to hover above us, keeping the light trained on us as a speaker crackled to life. Though, before they got a chance to say anything, Winston took aim and fired two rounds from his shotgun up at the Bullhead, the bullets exploding on impact with the armored siding of the vehicle.

_"Hard way it is, then."_ The voice behind the speaker called out. _"Move it, Specialists."_ The voice commanded.

_Specialist. Atlas Specialists. Fan-fucking-tastic._

* * *

**And that's this week's chapter.**

**Jaune and Neo made up, kinda, sorta. There's more than just that, but Neo at least was willing to forgive him. Got to have some interactions with the minor OCs I created, give them some personality and history. And then the heist, where everything went as it should. Jaune learned his lesson, but the paranoia is strong in this one, and he was right. Atlas Specialists here to crash the party.**

**That said, on we charge into the reviews!**

**Jim - Glad you like it, my friend. The affection is kinda unearned, you're right. I didn't realize it at the time, but it just sorta happened. I took note and mdae it a little more believable in the later chapters to get us to where we are now, but it was a little wonky. Oh well, mistakes that come with my first published piece. Always a learning process.**

**Greer - Jaune and Qrow, to me at least, are like the best of bros. More than Ren and Jaune because with Qrow he'll laugh and drink with Jaune while Ren is just kinda there, I guess. Jaune and Neo screwing with Atlas is coming - this is one of three or four chapters that we'll have based here in Atlas - and we've already got this train heist basically done. More Atlas based shenanigans to come, I promise.**

**Another Stalker - 'We wand those mechs...' Damnit, brain. They _sound_ similar. That doesn't mean they mean the same thing. You're right, canon Jaune is clueless and lost - and I didn't mean for this story to be a roller coaster, with huge highs and abysmal lows. It was just a what if and a criminal story told from the criminal's PoV.**

**Reesesracer - Yes, Jaune. Use the tactical mind you were gifted fo L. Come to the dark side. We have cookies, oh and Neo.**

**Luine Mercury - Well, making up complete. Sorta. Then there's them siding with Jaune and who knows - depends on how much slips and if Jaune will lose control of his web of lies. Glad you're enjoying.**

**X3 - I'm glad that Jaune and Qrow is so loved, because I adore their dynamic. And well, they did make up. Sorta. They still need to sit down and talk more, but they're on the right track. Okay, coming perfectly clean here, using the Groucho glasses shtick for Roman's mask - the idea came from your comment because why not, and it's not like Roman cares.**

**2 AM Guest - Trust me, buddy. As a college student who's practically nocturnal, 2 AM is perfectly fine. Well, Neo didn't stab him. Just a lot of cold shoulder and a few cheap shots to get him to realize he was being a moron. I will take my docked allotment of internet cookies. And hey, trust me, I know how it is to be awake and not half asleep when writing. Yet, it's always around like 2-3AM that all my ideas strike and then, ten hours later you have a chapter of this story.**

**AzraelSaint - Yeah, while Criminal Jaune is a bit smarter and faster thinking than canon Jaune, he is still slow as a snail. Much appreciated, friend - it sucks, but I'm managing.**

**Engineer - More support for the brolationship of Jaune & Qrow. Noted. Yeah, Jaune got screwed by his dad, especially with him training Jaune's sister and not him. Jaune really does deserve a good explanation, one he just doesn't have right now. And well, because of that, we have Jaune here working with Roman. Fun times. Jaune was up shit creek with both Neo and Ruby, but at least with Neo he's got a paddle and is trying to get out. Ruby on the other hand, well... She's been stewing. Alone. For a month and a half at this point. Jaune might've done a big oopsie. And of course, the train heist that's basically over. Don't fear, though. More Atlas chaos to come in the next couple chapters.**

**Imperial Germany - ... Nobody expects the Atlas Specialists! (I'll just show myself out now...)**

**Lost Memories - Here you are, friend. Glad you're enjoying.**

**Gasenator - Not nearly as hype in this chapter - things went well, mostly. Then the Atlas Inquis - I mean Specialists showed up, and it's gonna be hell.**

**Specter - Well, he got a mask. Not the one you wanted, but a mask none the less.**

**Exiled Darkness - Underage drinking?! Not in my RWBY! Like I'm going to keep contending, Qrow and Jaune have some of the best chemistry out of the whole cast to just be shit people and great friends all at the same time. It's great, and I love it.**

**And reviews, completed.**

**I will willingly share some internet cookies for those who can place where Jaune and Not-Jerry's masks come from. Granted, I think Jaune's is a lot easier, but still. Internet cookies will be shared to those who can figure them both out. I don't think I made it _too_ hard, but we'll see.**

**Next chapter we have Jaune and co vs Atlas Specialists. Fun times ahead, I'm sure. Just remember, the specialists showing up is 100% Jaune's fault. He thought it was too easy.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, June 24th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	19. Chapter 19

**And here we are on a Monday with another chapter of Criminally Good. Oh, and important AN at the bottom after reviews, be sure to check that out too.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 19]

Almost as soon as the words echoed out from the speaker system on the hovering Bullhead, the doors were thrown open, revealing five men and women in relatively nondescript white and gray combat suits. They were clearly armed to the teeth, each bearing their own bandoliers of grenades, belts of extra Dust ammunition, wicked looking assault rifles and more than a few combat knives that made my own pale in comparison.

There was one, however, who stood out above the rest. She struck an imposing figure, slender and towering over most of her compatriots. Her ice blue gaze was narrowed into a glare at the three of us, and her visage as a whole had contorted into a grim determination to apprehend us. Her hair was as bright white as the snow that fell around us, matching easily with the suit coat she wore.

What struck me more than anything was her weapons – the only one she had on hand seemed to be a single sword. It wasn't quite like mine – instead hers was far slimmer and looked to be made for quicker and more deft attacks than the arcing and heavy hits mine was built to unleash.

Winston took this very brief moment of a stare down to level his shotgun and fire off a few more rounds right for the open doors of the Bullhead, hoping to wound or even eliminate one of the specialists before the fighting even began properly.

His shells, however, were caught seemingly in midair by a rather large white glowing glyph that dissipated shortly after it was summoned, rendering the explosive shells inert and useless.

The six total specialists leapt from the Bullhead, coming crashing down onto the cart a fair distance away from us.

Neither Jess nor Winston took even a second's hesitation to open fire, even as they were falling. The only one who didn't come crashing with a loud thud onto the cart with us was the woman wielding a sword.

Rather, she came down, stepping off those same white glyphs that had been used earlier to block Winston's shells. _Her Semblance, maybe?_ It was the only thing that made any sense in my head.

Almost as soon as the others had landed, they opened fire on us, forcing me to bring my shield up in a defensive stance to cover me from the majority of the bullets as I dove for the cover of an empty crate. I glanced back towards where Jess and Winston had been, the two having done similar to me and rushing for what little cover we were afforded on the open-air cart.

The hail of bullets didn't seem to stop at any point, the only things to be heard were the rotors of the Bullhead slicing through the air and gunshots from both sides.

I took a chance and peeked out from behind my cover. This caught the attention of the woman with her sword and she rushed at me with blazing speed – nearing fast enough that I'd guess she might give Neo a run for her money.

I ducked back behind cover, though that didn't deter her at all. She rounded the corner with ease, almost as though she weren't moving at the speed of a bullet, and turned on me.

Fighting back my surprise, I brought my shield up and caught the first slash of her blade, deflecting it off to the side. Leaving her guard open, I brought Crocea Mors around and made to slash at her chest, though I hit nothing but air as she expertly danced back and away from the slash, readying her blade once again for an attack.

I charged out at her, glancing to the side as my two compatriots moved past me, firing out towards the spread-out team of specialists. They had faith that I'd be able to hold off this particular woman while they dealt with the others.

This woman dodged off to the side of my charge, swiping her blade towards my exposed back. Only the tip of her blade ripped against my winter coat, not even cutting through to my Aura thanks to the armor I wore beneath it.

I spun on a heel and quickly made to cut at her torso, though I was stopped as her blade intercepted mine.

I growled lowly and pressed with all the strength I had, thinking that in theory I would win that particular battle.

I was wrong.

The tip of my sword had a small glyph form around it, and wrench the blade back with strength that seemed to come from nowhere.

I growled and let my blade be pulled back by the glyph, letting her slash down at my exposed chest.

The steel of my armor caught her blade, setting the woman who towered even slightly over me, off her game. I took that opportunity and released my sword altogether, leaving it suspended in the air by her glyph.

I brought my now free hand around and connected a solid punch to her nose. While for any normal person, I suspect I'd have broken their nose, her Aura flared up the take the brunt of the damage for her.

I wasn't done, though. I stepped farther into the sword, the blade slowly cutting through the thick armor I had only just been given a few weeks ago. I brought my head up, just under her chin, knocking her back ever so slightly.

She was stunned, though I knew better than to think that would last long.

Behind me, my sword clattered to the ground as her concentration on the glyph broke. I fell back, her blade slipping out of my armor as though it weren't even there.

I kicked my sword back and away as I made some space between the two of us. She had since recovered and was now glaring at me as I crouched down to pick up my fallen sword.

On the other side of the cart, I could see that Winston and Jess were pinned down by a trio of the specialists as two others made to circle around behind them for an easy flank, leaving me on my own.

I looked back to the woman I had been dueling who was now glaring daggers at me, though seemed to respect that I was actually a somewhat capable combatant rather than a simple thug she'd be taking down in a few exchanges.

Behind my mask, I grinned just as much as it was. I was being taken seriously, and this was by a professional and highly trained specialist from the world's foremost military power. It was hard not to get that slight rush of joy knowing that everything I'd been doing over the past few months had been paying off.

Behind the woman, a large white glyph started to form, and she took a step back. That had me narrow my eyes and ready myself for something big that was inevitably coming.

Come it did – this woman who already seemed naturally quick now moved faster than I'd ever seen a person go. In less than a second, she had crossed the distance between us, sending her sword crashing into my shield at a strength I wasn't even remotely prepared for, having me skid back across the car from that simple impact.

She didn't stop there though, pressing forward, she lashed out yet again, launching herself off another glyph she had formed at some point.

This time, I just barely managed to duck under the blow, rolling off and away from her onslaught. As soon as I popped back up, though, she was on me again.

She had seemed to get a simple knife somewhere along the way and was now wielding her sword in a reverse grip as she lashed out at me.

Blow after blow crashed into my shield, forcing me to retreat and keep my guard up against her. I growled lowly and watched as she rounded on me for another flurry of attacks.

I lowered my shield, keeping my Aura up as the attacks came. It hurt like all hell as her strikes hit, though I took them with gritted teeth as pain radiated everywhere in my body.

I brought my shield around and bashed her in the face with it, stopping any forward momentum she had built up in the previous attacks.

Seeing my opportunity, I pressed forward, launching myself at her. I brought Crocea Mors down in an overhead arc. She managed to catch the blade with her dagger, twisting herself to try and cut at me with her sword.

I spun, disengaging myself from her dagger. I brought my knee up, slamming it into her gut, forcing the air out of her.

I then aimed to bring my sword down over her back, significantly cutting into her Aura, though that wouldn't happen.

On the other side of the cart, I heard a series of explosions, and loud cries of pain from someone. I couldn't turn to see who it was, though the gunfire continued, so I knew the battle wasn't over yet.

The woman threw her elbow into my gut, expecting me to double over and lose my breath like she had, though she met only thick steel armor.

She growled lowly, and before I really knew what happened, I was thrown back by a force that shouldn't have been there. _Another one of her glyphs._ It was the only way she'd have been able to throw me from her so easily.

I flopped onto the deck of the cart, groaning as I started to pull myself up to my feet.

Directly across from me, she grimaced and got to her feet herself, glaring at me with the fury of a woman who wasn't used to losing anything, well, ever. It was a look I knew all too well from my sisters.

My Aura reserves were low, I knew that – being reckless and taking a series of blows head on wasn't my brightest idea, but it definitely took her off guard as it did with everyone. The only problem was it only worked once, and I had thrown my one use away clawing back to an even state rather than ending the fight.

While I was winded and breathing heavily, she didn't seem too terribly bothered. Angry, yes, but still more than capable of fighting. It was hard to tell if that was an act, or if she really could do this all day like I suspected.

I spared a glance towards my two teammates, still pinned down where they were, things weren't looking great for them. Jess had taken a shot to the shoulder and was down on the ground as Winston stood beside her, firing off rounds from his shotgun as Jess reloaded the SMG for him to trade out once he emptied his weapon.

I only saw the three specialists now, pinned down after the constant fire from Winston. The two who had been flanking were nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a massive inferno blazing, and a hole in the cart from where I suspect they'd been not moments ago. _Winston must've hit one of our explosives… Or their grenades, maybe?_

I turned my attention back to my opponent just in time to catch her rushing me again.

I dove off to the side, skidding on the train car as she crashed into the nothingness where I had been not a second earlier.

Despite the failed charge, she didn't seem deterred as she rounded on me again. I brought my shield up, countering a few of her blows, though being forced to take a step back with each one that crashed into my defense.

Her assault was relentless, leaving me next to no opportunity to counter. I continued to cede ground until I found myself backed to the edge of the cart, the only place to go being off the side and into the snow. While not a bad idea, she'd likely leave me to round on Winston and Jess before hunting me down with allies.

I bit the inside of my cheek, glaring through the mask at the woman who was now smirking as she watched me, more than convinced that she had me beaten and backed into a corner. _Think, Jaune. How can you get out of this?_

_She's got a Semblance that lets her make glyphs. They seem to have an assortment of uses, either as platforms for her, or speed boosts, or ways to restrict my movement. They augment her, but she's not entirely reliant on them._ I growled lowly as I watched her, waiting for the woman to try and finish the job.

I didn't see an easily exploitable weakness.

She decided that she'd had enough of waiting around to see what I'd do. She charged at me once again, coming in at a flank to try and cut around my shield and dig through the little Aura I had left. I watched as she closed the gap.

Ten feet. _C'mon, Jaune, think of something._

Five feet. _It's now or never, damnit._

One foot. _I need Winston's supporting fire._

An idea formed in my head.

Impact.

She made to come around my shield, attacking from the right so that it'd be harder for me to bash her and knock her back to buy myself time to think a way out of this. What she didn't account for was that I'd been being trained by cheaters and back alley combatants. She was trained by professionals.

It was a long shot, but it was all I had going for me.

I spun to face her, not bothering to swing my sword in defense. I brought the corner of my shield up, jamming it into her face and towards her eyes.

An ear-piercing howl cut through the wind, and I knew I'd hit my target.

She stumbled slightly, and I used that to bring my elbow around and slam it into her chest, knocking her off the side of the cart into the snow.

I didn't hesitate after that, sheathing my sword and collapsing the shield to turn it into a rifle.

Before it was even done shifting, I brought it up to my shoulder and took aim as the sight emerged from the complicated machinery. I took in a deep breath, doing my best to keep calm and steady. I only had one shot before that woman came back with a vengeance for my head.

I held my breath and zeroed in on the target. _Here's hoping this is enough._

I squeezed the trigger.

A massive explosion erupted from behind the other three specialists that Winston was fighting off.

None of them were killed, but they were forced to dive off the train to not be severely wounded in the process.

I lowered my rifle and ran for where Winston was.

He looked to me and nodded, looking back to Jess.

"We've got to move. Now." I intoned, looking back to see that the woman I had bashed was pulling herself back up onto the train.

Jess was clearly in a lot of pain, due to the wound in her shoulder. "Then get to it rather than standing here staring at me like I'm a fucking cripple."

Winston and I looked to one another and nodded then. I popped back up, eyeing the woman as she glared with her one uninjured eye at us.

Winston stood behind me and brought Jess' SMG to bear, unloading the weapon in her direction. The white-haired specialist dove for cover. "Move back, towards the rear of the train." Winston ordered.

I wasn't going to argue, helping Jess up and letting her take the lead as Winston and I fired off rounds to try and keep the specialists from closing in on us.

Once we crossed over to the next cart, Winston took aim with his shotgun and blasted the explosives wired under it, sending the whole thing up in smoke. "There, that should buy us some time."

I nodded, turning and pressing on through the open-air cart. The Bullhead that the specialists had arrived on tracked us as we moved, keeping the spotlight trained on our position.

I didn't think that was quite fair for them to be able to easily track us and all, so I took aim up at the Bullhead. It wasn't an easy shot, considering I was aiming directly into a blinding light, but it was worth a try.

It took me emptying the rest of my magazine into the light before it finally cracked and shattered, shrouding us in darkness but for the slight illumination of the burning crates on the other cart.

Winston, Jess, and I all took cover behind one of the far crates at the other end of the cart we were on. I looked between the two. "Any idea when Roman and the others are gonna be back? The reinforcements would be appreciated."

Jess just groaned and shook her head.

Winston thought, shrugging his shoulders. "Soon. They left with the last set a few hours ago – we were still wiring this whole thing to go up in smoke."

"Spread out and find them. I want the one with sword and shield alive." The voice of that woman called out. It sounded frigid and hostile.

There was no response from the other specialists, but at that point I knew making noise would simply give us away.

Now, it was pitch black. That made seeing and communicating with Winston and Jess all but impossible without giving our positions away. The darkness was acting in our favor, but also against us.

I crept to the edge of the crate we were using as cover, peeking out from behind it. There were no shadows being cast by the dull firelight behind us other than those from the crates. _Great, we don't know where they are._

I quietly set down Crocea Mors by Winston, tapping him on the shoulder and showing him it was there. He nodded, only just barely visible a few feet away. I left him with spare ammunition as well, drawing the knives that I held in case of emergency.

In this case, they were faster and far less bulky than Crocea Mors was, making it easier for me to creep around.

Granted, I was never good at this. Not in games, nor in practice. I was always more a fan of being in the thick of fighting, or sitting back and commanding the forces. Skulking around and picking off targets just wasn't my MO.

Despite that, though, I had no choice but to try in this case. One of us was wounded, we were all woefully outmatched when it came to skill, and in the worst case, they could just wait us out. Granted, we had reinforcements, but they inevitably had more.

Ideally, I'd have stripped off my armor as well, but that was beneath all my winter clothing and it simply wasn't in the cards for me to do that and get moving in time.

I crept out from behind the crate, keeping low as I shuffled forward, careful to make as little noise as possible.

I swallowed nervously as I rounded the first crate, expecting the be met with the commander, or even two of the specialists, but that wasn't the case. I was greeted with nothing.

On the floor of the cart, I saw a shadow streak across the middle isle, and I held my breath, pressing myself back against the crate.

_Creak._ I started to panic, though quelled it as best I could. I shifted around the crate so that when he looked between the crates, he wouldn't see me.

I swallowed nervously again, peeking past seeing that he had moved on. I slipped back into the shadows, creeping forward until I was at the edge of the crate. I peeked around and saw him checking the space between another for my compatriots.

_Alright, let's see if it's as easy as the games make it look…_ I thought humorlessly, creeping out from behind cover. I slowly closed the gap between the specialist and myself, hoping that I'd be able to grab him and keep him quiet.

_Creak._ I looked down right at my feet. I had made that noise. _Son of a…_

The specialist spun on a heel almost instantly, blinding me with the flashlight he had attached to his weapon.

Seeing that I didn't have any other option, I rushed at him, brandishing my knives in hand.

He fired off a few shots which slammed into my chest, doing more damage than I'd like to my already dwindling Aura reserves.

I knocked my shoulder into him, sending the specialist down onto the floor of the cart with me following right behind him.

With him pinned down beneath me, I swung a fist out, hitting him square in the nose, though his Aura absorbed the blow. I growled and slammed my face forward, down into his. Thanks to the metal mask, he found himself far more wounded from the exchange than I was.

The knife in my left hand sung as I brought it down, slamming the blade into his shoulder. It easily ripped through the armor he was wearing; the blade having been made to cut through Grimm bone plating. It dug into his shoulder with ease, burying itself all the way down to the hilt.

The specialist shouted out in pain, writing beneath me. Despite that, I didn't hesitate or stop, bringing the other knife around and stabbing it down into his neck. His breathing was cut off, and all sounds died there in his throat as he quickly started to bleed out.

However, I wasn't alone anymore.

The woman I had been brawling with earlier had rounded a corner, her sword still in a reverse grip as she glared down at me. "This ends now."

I ripped my two knives out of the dying specialist and scrambled back as she lashed out. I was breathing heavily now, finding my hands covered in blood yet again. An all too familiar face started to appear in my head, though I pushed it aside. Survival first, guilt later.

I pulled myself up to my feet, wielding the knives that I was nowhere near as skilled with, waiting on her first attack.

On the other side of the cart, I heard more gunfire start to bark out, both from a familiar SMG, and the assault rifles that the specialists were wielding.

On my feet now, I stared down this woman, her ice-cold glare doing its best to fix me in place. It only met impassive steel contorted into a permanent grin.

She charged at me with speed yet again, and I only just barely managed to bring my knives up in a cross to catch the saber she wielded. Rather than attempt another attack with a blade, she swiftly brought her foot up and kicked me square in the chest, sending me stumbling backward with a grunt.

_"What's this? You should've told me we were having a party; I would've brought snacks."_ I couldn't help but to grin under my mask. Reinforcements were here.

I barked out a laugh, one that must've made me sound like a mad man as I eyed my opponent. "You're right. This does end here."

She snarled at me and closed the gap between us.

She brought her saber around in a slash that was aimed for my upper torso, though I managed to block it with one knife, stepping in towards her guard. I brought the other around, hoping to stab it up towards her torso to deal some damage to her Aura, or even shatter it.

My blade was caught by her knife, however and deflected aside.

Using the same logic I had with the previous specialist, I slammed my face forward into hers, using the metal mask to my advantage.

She stumbled backward, though I didn't let her create any space – my knives were supreme at this range, and her saber was all but useless.

She grunted, and threw me back using one of her glyphs, sending me skittering and sliding across the cart. I groaned, feeling slightly dizzy now as I pulled myself up to my feet again.

The distinct sound of four more Bullheads cutting through the air greeted me, and I grinned. "About time you showed up." I commented.

There was no response from Roman other than a round from his cane being fired down at the floor of the cart between myself and this specialist.

Roman leapt from his Bullhead, sending it veering and crashing into the one the specialists had arrived in. He landed rather gracefully on the cart and spun his cane in hand, having long since abandoned his Groucho glasses that didn't do a thing to hide his face.

A wide grin was on his lips as he spun his cane in hand, idly puffing on a cigar. "Well, what do we have here? A team of Atlas Specialists, here to stop _my_ train robbery? Led by General Ironwood's personal pet Winter Schnee no less? My, don't I feel important." Roman taunted, looking as at ease as ever.

In the distance, the crashed Bullheads went up in a rather impressive explosion.

"Torchwick. Why does it not surprise me that this is your doing?" The specialist commander – Winter, Roman had called her – growled out, wielding her saber in a defensive stance.

Roman just shrugged. "Probably because I'm the only thief in the world crazy enough, and skilled enough to pull it off? I mean, come on, who else could it have been, really?"

Winter just snarled, glaring at Roman. She charged at him, aiming to deliver a swift slice down across his chest.

Roman caught her saber with the hook of his cane and yawned. "What, are we done talking already? How boring."

He used the hook of his cane to pull her forward, making Winter stumble with the sudden movement. Without missing a beat, Roman brought his knee up and into her face. He disengaged his cane from the saber, bringing it down in an overhead arc to slam against her back and send the woman sprawling out onto the cart floor.

He took another puff off his cigar, seemingly completely unphased as he crouched down in front of the woman. "Come now, Miss – no, sorry, Specialist Schnee. Is that really the best you had to offer me? A weak and predictable attack?" He tutted, shaking his head. "I wonder what the General would think."

A low growl emitted from the downed Winter as she used a glyph to send Roman skidding back a few feet. The master criminal just grinned and contentedly puffed on his cigar as she pulled herself up to her feet.

Roman nodded. "That's it, show me what you're made of. Show me that fire in your belly."

Winter was furious, that much I could tell from even a passing glance at her. She created a few glyphs surrounding Roman and I, and while I watched, on edge, Roman looked completely bored.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her lips twitching into a slight smile.

From the glyphs, almost as though they were portals, an incredible number of animated ice birds came flying out in a volley towards myself and Roman. I, thankfully, had armor and some Aura left to block the attack. Roman, on the other hand just hummed as many impacted him.

"You know, that tickles." He commented, raising his cane and leveling it off at Winter in the blink of an eye. He pulled the trigger three times, firing off three explosive shells at the woman.

Winter was hit, and the ice birds all fell to the ground and faded away, lifelessly. Winter got sent flying back, slamming into a crate behind her, shattering one of the walls of it.

The gunfire on the train had stopped, and I could only hope that meant Winston and Jess were the ones to come out on top with help from our other friends.

I glanced towards where Winter was, and she appeared to be unconscious, slumped in the crate.

Roman sighed, spitting out the cut and broken remains of his cigar, shaking his head. "You did good, kid."

"I'd be dead without you coming in to save me there." I pointed out, slowly getting my breathing to a normal level.

Roman shrugged. "Maybe, but you held off a team of Atlas Specialists long enough for me to show up. I'd call that a job well done." He nodded towards the corpse on the ground. "Looks like you even handled him on your own"

I nodded, looking down at the corpse on the floor, his blood pouring from the two wounds I had dealt him. I closed my eyes and nodded. "That's one way of putting it."

Roman rested a hand on my shoulder. "Remember, kid. It was either you or him. He knew the risk when he signed up for the job."

I nodded, crouching down next to his body. He still had a full bandolier of grenades on him. I unstrapped it from around his torso, then strapping it to my own. Roman nodded approvingly. "Good thinking – not like he's using them anymore."

Roman and I left the scene, making our way to where I knew Jess and Winston were last.

Both were alive, though Winston had a wound of his own to show for it – a gash on the side of his head, blood slowly dribbling out and down his face, not that he seemed to care.

Roman clapped his hands together. "Good, everyone is here and mostly alive." He said, eyeing the bullet wound in Jess' shoulder. "Now, let's get a move on. Not-Jerry's got his Bullhead ready to take off with us in tow. Neo and Jack both already grabbed another two of the mechs and are on the way out."

I nodded, kneeling down and helping Jess up. She didn't look happy about it, though didn't voice any complaints either.

We had won. Mission accomplished. Time to go back home and be done with Atlas.

Despite that, I couldn't shake that feeling that we weren't out of the woods just yet.

* * *

**And done. Big fighting chapter, probably a lot of what people wanted to see last chapter with some big stuff happening and a lot of combat. We've got Jaune v Winter, and Jaune was definitely about to lose, though Roman comes in to save the day. All things considered though, Jaune did pretty well against Winter, striking a few solid hits. Trial by fire with Neo and Roman does work for training. Good to know.**

**And now, on with the reviews!**

**H - No, and fun fact, I've never read / watched Tokyo Ghoul. It's on my Watch List. Like about a hundred other shows, but I'll clear it out. Eventually.**

**Greer - After a trial by fire, yes. She got tired of waiting, and Jaune finally put the pieces to the incredibly simple puzzle together.**

**Just another Nobody of Nowhere - Damn, man. You caught up around when I finished editing this chapter. Nice. Glad you're enjoying, and well, here's Winter. Fun times.**

**Zhalo Shadowcell - Amusing coincidence, gotta love it.**

**X3 - Roman in his element is some top shelf stuff, and I adore it. We get more of the whimsical, slightly mad man master thief in this chapter too. It's great. I will neither confirm nor deny that Jaune, consciously or otherwise, enjoyed being kneed a few times by Neo. That is up for you to decide. Jaune's mask might become infamous across the world, especially if photos or even video of Jaune and Winter fighting surfaces.**

**Engineer - Jaune interacting with his crew mates, at least a couple of them was fun for me to write. They might be minor OCs, but they've got roles to play here for the next couple chapters, so I'd prefer people like the characters rather than just thinking they're names without personality, kinda like Baxton was. You, like Jaune, don't know what their relationship is. Jaune hasn't been stressing it, but they are gonna need to sit down and have a conversation at some point. Poor Jaune indeed. Not only Penny, but Atlas Specialists, including the queen Specialist herself. There is no winning, and there is definitely no breaks for our criminal boy. He's just got to take it as it comes. Then Ruby. Oh god, Ruby. Jaune, you are going to have **_so much_** explaining and apologizing to Ruby in your future. Roman wore a mask mostly as a gag - if you don't know what the Groucho mask is, go look it up. It's rather comedic, and completely ineffective. I'd chalk it up to Roman's whimsical side showing, because why not? Jaune's is in fact Jhin from League, while Not-Jerry's is not IT from Stephen King, though not a bad guess.**

**Guest (1) - Glad you think so, man. I love the story and idea, so here we are. If you want another good one, go check out College Fool's _A Common Criminal or Something._ That was the story that gave me inspiration to write this one.**

**Reesesracer - Correct. Jhin, the most fun ADC in League. And no, we won't be seeing Whisper appear in this story. While it is very much a RWBY style weapon, the mask wasn't planned and nor is Jaune getting the pistol / rifle that Jhin uses. A bad ass weapon, and idea I'd have thought about if it came to me before now, but oh well. Maybe in other fics. We will see.**

**Another Stalker - I didn't think you were, just pointing out a comedic little error on my end. Trust me, we all hate auto complete when it makes us say things we don't want to.**

**Specter - Ah yes, Jhin's mask. Him being my main in the game, I decided why not?**

**Halobyrd - No stabby stabby by Neo. Now, to not die to Winter and get out of Atlas, then things can be good.**

**Gasenator - I don't blame you, friend. The clown mask is from a game I've put way too many hours in. Glad you're enjoying and all. Maybe this is what you wanted to see? Or maybe it can still show up.**

**Imperial Germany - Because it wouldn't be me if things didn't go horribly wrong. This chapter, Not-Jerry is alive and well, so not completely accurate.**

**Josh Spicer - Sailing indeed. Winter: _glaring menacingly at Jaune and Roman._**

**And that's reviews done and dusted, woo!**

**Now for an important notice. I will be on vacation from July 13th - July 20th, so don't expect any chapters that week. If in doubt, just look at the Next Chapter that I always post at the bottom of my ANs. After that I'll be posting for about a week again, then I'll be leaving once more to go help a friend of mine for about a week or more. Again, if in doubt consult the AN at the end of each chapter for when to expect the next chapter.**

**That said, we're getting to be about half way through the story, give or take a couple chapters. Kinda wild to think, for me at least, that we're already almost halfway done with Criminally Good. We've come a long way from the start, but there's still quite the winding road ahead of us. It's gonna be fun.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, June 28th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Friday, thank god the week is over, and we've got another chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 20]

Well, I was right.

Not that I'd say anything to the frustrated Not-Jerry, nor the seemingly unflappable Roman.

That still bothered me to some degree, how he could be so calm and level headed when we were stranded, on the side of a mountain in Atlas right after having kicked the asses of a team of Specialists who crashed a simple train heist.

I, understandably I'd say, was more than a little stressed.

Not-Jerry was doing his absolute best with the smoking engine of the Bullhead. Of course, knowing our luck, it was one that we had borrowed from Junior's contact here. When we got it, everything had seemed in order and perfectly ready to fly.

Well, something went wrong and now here we are – stranded in the middle of nowhere as our amateur mechanic tries to fix the problem with _very_ limited supplies.

Jess was asleep in the back of the immobile Bullhead, stretched out over a bench, using Winston's jacket as a blanket while hers acted as a pillow. Thankfully, I had the time to do a rough patching up of their wounds before we came crashing down into the snow. At the least, the bleeding was stopped and the wound was wrapped.

Despite not having a jacket, Winston was stood out in the snow and biting wind with Roman, Not-Jerry and I. He didn't seem all that phased by the cold, or rather, if he was, he didn't show it. "Any chance of you fixing it?" He asked, his voice quiet though carrying easily though the wind.

Not-Jerry stood back up, a frown tugging at his lips. "I mean, maybe? I don't know." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm not a professional, hell, I've barely worked on Bullheads before – my expertise is more with cars, trucks, motorbikes, those sorts of things." He glared back at the Bullhead. "This is a whole different creature."

Winston didn't look amused. "Can you fix it or not?"

Not-Jerry just threw his hands up in the air. "Like I said: maybe. It's a long shot, especially without tools, experience, or any idea what broke exactly."

Roman hummed, puffing on his cigar as he leaned back against the inevitably freezing cold metal of the airship. "Alright kids, that's enough fighting." He called out, getting Not-Jerry and Winston to look to him. "Here's how this is going to work. Paul, you and Winston are going to stay here with the Bullhead and Jess. Try and get it in working order." He looked over toward me then. "While you're doing that, Jaune and I are going to visit a small village not too far off."

I frowned, tilting my head slightly. "If it's a small village, I doubt they'd have anything we need." I pointed out, not seeing any value in making that trek.

"Ah, that is where you're wrong my young apprentice." Roman said, a smirk on his lips. "Being this far out in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by harsh weather, travel by road is all but impossible."

I narrowed my eyes, still not seeing his point.

"People need to eat, don't they? Protection is also an issue, not to mention what they do with sick or injured they can't handle." He paused, seeing that the gears were slowly starting to turn in my head.

"…. We're gambling, hoping that they've got a Bullhead?"

Roman laughed, a grin on his lips. "And the winner is Jaune Arc! Someone get this man a medal."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, and what's the plan if y'know, they don't have a Bullhead for us to hijack?"

He shrugged. "Get some food, tools, supplies, that sort of deal. Come back and hope Not-Jerry can get things back in order and we'll be on our way."

I looked towards our other two companions. "Thoughts?" To me, it wasn't a great plan, but it was better than nothing. I just hoped that either of them had something better in mind.

Winston shrugged his shoulders. "Better than twiddling our thumbs and waiting to freeze to death."

Not-Jerry nodded. "Agreed. I'll do what I can, but don't hold your breath."

I frowned, chewing on my lower lip. "What about Neo or Jack? Any chance we can get in contact with them?"

Roman shook his head. "Doubtful – we're not exactly wired through the CCT, so comms range is less than optimal. Then, of course, there'd be the issue of them turning around to pick us up. With a massive, stolen piece of military tech in tow. Not exactly what I'd call clandestine."

I furrowed my brows at that. "And stealing a Bullhead is?"

"Says the kid who fought, a team of Specialists, not to mention killing one."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Point made."

Roman nodded, clapping his gloved hands together. "Great, now with that out of the way, does the class have any more questions?"

I looked down at myself, bloodied and with ripped clothes. It wasn't exactly what I'd call an incognito look. "Yeah, just one. Won't my appearance ring a few alarm bells to people?"

Roman tilted his head, examining me in the ripped and bloodied jacket, along with the bandolier of grenades that had blood dried to the strap and grenades themselves. "Right you are." He glanced over to Winston. "Go swap your coat with his."

"What about the grenades and my sword? That'd be more than a little recognizable."

Roman shook his head. "Kid, if anything is gonna get recognized, it's me. If they're going to recognize that, they'll for sure recognize me. At that point we'll want everything we can get."

I shrugged my shoulders, wandering back to the Bullhead.

I heaved open the door and pulled myself up and in, closing it behind me.

To say it was warm in the small airship would be a lie, but at the very least we had shelter from the snow and bone chilling wind.

Jess was laying on one of the benches near to the cockpit, curled up as tight as she could get under the coat in an attempt to keep herself warm.

Wordlessly, I stripped off my coat, revealing the scarred armor that I wore beneath. I got damn lucky, considering that Winter's blade almost cut through the metal completely. I gently removed the coat from over Jess, getting the blonde woman to groan and curl in on herself, hugging her knees to her chest.

The wound on her right shoulder was starting to bleed through the rough bandaging I had done – I'd make sure to tell Winston so he could change the bandages.

I draped my cut and torn coat back over her, and she grabbed onto it almost instantly, pulling it over her as best she could.

I shook my head, pulling the larger jacket on over my armor and stepping out of the Bullhead once more. Winston was stood there, watching over Not-Jerry who had stuck his head back into the hood of the Bullhead and was fiddling with something as best he could.

Roman nodded at me then. "Ready to go there, chief?"

I nodded right back, glancing to Winston. "Oh, Jess' wound is bleeding through. You're going to need to change the bandage soon."

He just grunted in acknowledgement, not moving from where he was, watching over Not-Jerry.

I shrugged, joining Roman as the two of us pushed out into the bustling snow storm. I could only hope that Roman knew where he was going.

Now, I'll freely admit, I'd never seen snow before I came to Atlas. It was novel, until I'd come to the realization that everything was frozen and sucked, and it made it nigh on impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you when it was falling.

Despite that, I was able to keep pace with Roman though. We trudged wordlessly through the storm, leaving me nothing but my thoughts.

_All things considered, I did well against Winter. She was a professionally trained Specialist. One of the best the Atlas military has to offer, and I held her off for longer than I had any right to. Most of it might've been because of my massive Aura reserves, and the fact that I wear actual armor, but still. It seems impressive that I lasted as long as I did._

I shook my head then. _Still would've lost though, and pretty badly. Sure, I landed a few cheap shots and got her knocked around a bit, but she had me entirely beat. If not for Roman, I'd likely have been knocked out and captured._

I shuddered at the idea, or maybe it was shivering thanks to the cold. I couldn't tell you which. _That seems to be a common theme – I'm decent. I can hold off people who massively out match me, but I don't stand a chance of winning._

I glanced over to Roman who had abandoned his cigar somewhere along the way as we pushed through the snow towards our destination. _He saw something in me, something that made him think I was worth the gamble. Even after all this time, I don't know what it is._ Jack's words came floating back into my head. _"Ask him. Better to know than be blind." I've been blind this whole time, guessing but never knowing._

"Hey, Roman?" I asked, getting him to look back over his shoulder.

"Hm?"

I pursed my lips, resting a hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "Those months ago, when you offered me to come work with you – why'd you do it?"

Roman looked back forward. "Because you're an Arc. Knowing who your father is, you'd have done something reckless either way. Just a question of when it happened, and what the outcome was."

I narrowed my eyes. "Because of my name? That's it?"

Roman just shrugged. "Your father is a good man – does what's right, regardless of the consequences. He's also stubborn, you'll have a better chance negotiating with the Grimm than getting him to change his mind." He paused for a moment. "You're similar. You had it made up in your mind that you were going to be a Huntsman and a hero of the people."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're his only son, and without my interference, you'd more than likely be dead as you chased that dream, completely unprepared." He shook his head, sighing. "I wasn't going to let that happen."

"Roman…?" I asked, though he either didn't hear me or ignored it.

"I took you in, taught you how to fight, how to survive. I never really thought you'd stick around for long. Jason definitely didn't." He paused for a minute as he thought. "That's why I kept you in the dark – I was expecting you to just up and leave to make your own way in life." He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "I was fine with that too. I did what I'd intended, got you to a point where you could handle yourself."

He looked back over his shoulder at me, a small smile on his lips. "But that's where you two differ. Jason took off – decided that I was the scum of Remnant and continued on with his life. You, on the other hand, stuck around." He gestured around us. "You planned this, helped with massive jobs, even met my nutcase of a boss, and yet you're still here."

I blinked, watching as Roman had finished his ranting and went back to trudging forward. My mind was awhirl with thoughts, processing new information that Roman had dumped on me. _Roman and my dad worked together? That means dad was a criminal… He helped Roman for a while, but turned his back on him. Why? Where did he draw the line? Have I crossed it?_ _Is this why he refused to train me?_

I shook my head. "So, that day all those months ago, you took me in just because of who my father was? Because you couldn't stand by and watch me throw my life away chasing a dream?"

Roman chuckled, nodding. "That about sums it up."

I felt an ever so slight smile cross my lips. "And they say you're nothing but a heartless thief out for himself."

He just snickered. "Don't go telling anyone – ruins my whole reputation."

I rolled my eyes. "Secret's safe with me, Roman."

He didn't respond, just continued on pushing through the snow.

[-/-]

Roman said this village was nearby, but by my guess, we had been walking for about an hour and a half, or even two. Despite that, though, we had arrived.

The village was about the same size as Ansel if I had to guess, a little over two dozen buildings in total. They were huddled together, almost like the buildings themselves were trying to share heat with one another.

I glanced over to Roman who had stopped about two-hundred yards out from the village, looking over all of the squat buildings, there only being two or three that had a second floor.

Roman had his gaze fixed on a landing pad, though. A series of red lights flashing slowly on the platform, though he had his eyes on the prize – the Bullhead parked, inert and waiting to be stolen. "It seems they've got what we came for in stock. How fortunate." Roman said, a grin tugging at his lips.

I narrowed my eyes, looking over the platform. It didn't look like it was guarded, though that went for the whole village. I knew better, though. The Grimm did still exist, so these people must've had some way to manage the creatures of darkness.

"Got a plan?" I asked, curious what the master criminal was cooking up.

He shrugged. "Sure – walk over, break into the cockpit, hotwire the ship, and take off. Simple."

I blinked once, twice, and then a third time. "Simple, yes, and asking for us to get caught."

Roman arched his brows. "Alright then, mister grand strategy, what's your game plan?"

I pursed my lips as I thought on that. "It's not that your plan is bad, it's just asking for us to draw a lot of heat. Ideally, this gets done with nobody knowing until it's too late."

"I still haven't heard a plan." Roman pointed out, leaning on his cane.

"I'm working on it. Maybe we could find the pilot, steal the keys off him, or even get him to start it for us and just take him hostage while we take off – make it so they have to let us go if they want him to live?"

"Alright, how do you find this pilot?" Roman asked.

I frowned, eyeing the village. "This place isn't much bigger than Ansel – back home, there wasn't much to do. You went to school, ran around outside, and went home. Adults had the luxury of going to the local bar." I glanced back to Roman. "I'd hazard a guess that the bar is our best bet for finding the pilot."

Roman just chuckled, shaking his head. "Not bad, kid, but you've forgotten one important detail."

I tilted my head slightly, frowning. "I have?"

He nodded. "You have. It happens to be about… seven in the morning, give or take half an hour. Most people aren't day drinkers like you – and even you don't start this early."

I pursed my lips, frowning as I thought.

"That said, I doubt many people are awake yet. If there was ever a time to hijack a parked Bullhead, now would be it. So, unless you can tell me where the bar is, what room our pilot is in, and get me in there unseen, this is going to be going loud anyway." Roman said, still leaning on his cane, knowing full well that there was no way I could do that.

I sighed, shrugging. "Alright, then we do this your way."

Roman grinned, clapping me on the shoulder. "Your plan works, just not this early in the morning."

I shook my head, unclasping 'The Virtuoso' from my belt. I eyed the mask, uncaring and twisted into a thin grin from ear to ear. It was unsettling, though distinctly human in spite of the sharp edges.

I pulled up the winter hood and donned the mask, finding that I could still see clearly, and breathe with no issue. How the maker had managed that, I didn't know, but greatly appreciated.

Roman glanced over at me and shook his head. "You know, hiding your face takes all the fun out of committing outrageous crimes."

I shrugged. "And it lets me move freely while keeping friends on the other side of the law."

Roman shrugged. "To each their own."

The two of us made towards the desolate landing pad, completely undisturbed. Our only companion being the light snowfall and the biting wind.

Roman came to stand next to the cockpit, producing a set of lockpicks from somewhere on his person, setting to fiddling with the door. Still, I had to wonder where he hid them. First it was cigars and a lighter, now it was lockpicks. What next, a granola bar?

I kept watch as Roman worked, having drawn Crocea Mors, shifted into its rifle form. I had it loaded with fire Dust rounds, finding that they made small explosions on impact. Good for shattering cover and forcing people to move.

The lock clicked, and Roman grinned, stashing the picks away somewhere on his person. "Same as always." He said, more or less to himself as he hopped up into the cockpit.

"What are you doing?!" A clearly feminine voice called out.

My head whipped towards the sound of the woman's voice. She was shorter than me, generally nondescript – brown hair, average features. Nothing particularly stood out. In one hand, she wielded a six-round revolver, keeping it pointed at us. In the other, she had a blade that was far too short to be a sword, but longer than a knife.

"Step away from the Bullhead and show me your hands." She called out, keeping the revolver trained on me.

I snapped to a decision, rolling off to the right, away from the Bullhead.

The woman fired a round as I moved, the bullet sailing past me and crashing into the snow with a small explosion of fire. _Fire Dust rounds, too. Fun._

I came to a kneel, bracing the rifle against my shoulder as I hastily took aim, firing off three rounds at her.

The woman dodged off to the side, seeing that I was using a rifle she charged, hoping that she could eliminate my weapon.

I glanced down at my bandolier of grenades. It was still full of a mix, some long tubes, other were more spherical.

If I remembered right from the few FPS games I had played, the spherical ones were regular grenades, while the longer ones were flashbangs, or concussion grenades.

God, I hoped I wasn't about to blow myself up.

I pulled one of the longer ones off and threw it at her feet, diving backwards and covering my eyes.

There was an explosion, as well as an incredibly loud and deafening ringing in my ears.

I groaned, though, turned back to see that she had collapsed to the ground, though was starting to pull herself up.

I shook my head, trying to ignore the ringing in my ears as I leveled my rifle at her, firing off another three rounds. This time, they impacted her square in the chest, sending her back a few feet into the snow in a heap yet again.

I didn't see any blood, so I figured she had Aura.

The ringing in my ears started to subside, and I heard the Bullhead's rotors start to whir to life a few feet away.

I fired a few more rounds from my rifle at the woman pulling herself out of the snow, forcing her back down as I ran to Roman.

"We getting out of here?" I asked, not wanting to see what other security they had up their sleeves. I could handle one Huntress, but more might be an issue.

"You gotta buy me time. This bird won't fly for another few minutes at least."

I groaned, nodding and stepping out from behind the Bullhead.

Just my luck, people had come outside to investigate the explosion and gunshots.

The brown-haired woman leveled her revolver at me, having a couple of guys who rather clearly weren't Huntsmen, wielding simple rifles a lot like I'd seen the bots on the train have. "Hands where I can see 'em." She called out, keeping her revolver trained on me, along with her two guards.

I didn't respond, keeping a tight grip on Crocea Mors as the trio started to push forward.

Roman popped out from inside the cockpit. "Please, excuse my friend – he's not particularly talkative, but I'd be more than willing to negotiate your gracious surrender."

The woman ticked her gaze towards Roman. "I think it's the other way around, bub. You're outnumbered, and pinned down. Why don't you do us all a favor and step out of the Bullhead?"

I bit my lower lip, glancing over to Roman briefly and back to the trio who had stopped about twenty feet away. They had their attention on Roman. Subtly I started to move my hand for one of the flashbangs on the bandolier of grenades.

Roman hummed, likely taking note of what I was doing. He just has to keep their attention. "Yeah, I don't know about that one. I mean, you don't become Remnant's greatest thief by just surrendering when a wannabe Huntress points a gun at you. Even then, it's pretty cold out there, and I _just_ got the heater running. So, I'll pass." As he was speaking, I got one hand around the grenade. All I had to do now was pull the pin and get cover.

"Remnant's greatest thief my arse – you couldn't even steal a Bullhead without getting caught." I glanced to Roman, catching his eye. He nodded ever so minutely.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I believe we're done here." He said, ducking back down into the cockpit.

I pulled the pin and threw the grenade at the trio, ducking back behind the Bullhead to use for cover. As I did, I reached up and grabbed another grenade, this one hopefully a frag. I heard the explosion from the flash go off, and I popped back out, lobbing the second one at the trio.

I didn't wait to see if it did any damage – I threw the door into the Bullhead passenger compartment open and pulled myself in. I slammed the door shut and banged on the wall. Roman got the message, pulling up and off the ground.

My stomach started to flip, and I felt the urge to be sick, even though I had nothing to expel. I took a deep breath and tried to hold it in as Roman took off at speed, hurtling us away from the village.

I heard a few small pops – likely the Huntress firing her revolver at the Bullhead, ending up doing nothing more than scarring the metal, but not piercing anything. That surprised me, considering this wasn't a military ship, so it had no armor plating, but I wasn't going to question it.

The sound of gunfire subsided shortly after, and I knew we were well out of range from the small village, and the Huntress attempting to stop us.

I sighed, feeling the tension that had wound itself comfortably in my shoulders slowly release. Even if it wasn't particularly dangerous, I still got that rush of adrenaline surging through my system. I closed my eyes, feeling my stomach continue to do its imitation of a gymnast in a vain attempt to be emptied.

I leaned back against the wall, resting my arms on my knees as I hung my head low. Everything went well. Sorta. We got a Bullhead, and we both got out unscathed. Granted, we were seen and had a gunfight with local authorities, but all was well. We were long gone, end of story – game over. We won.

After about ten minutes or so worth of flying, Roman brought us down to land. I groaned and pulled myself up, throwing open the Bullhead door. I was immediately greeted by a torrent of snow and more bone chilling wind.

The next most obvious thing was the three faces of my companions. Not-Jerry grinned at me, heaving himself up into the Bullhead with me. Next came Jess, who was still clearly in a load of pain, but at least she was up and alive. Last came Winston, who didn't even use the handle on the side of the ship, simply taking a massive step up into the flying deathtrap.

He pulled the door closed behind him, and much like I had done, banged on the wall a couple times with his fist. Roman got the message, and once more we were up and off into the skies of Atlas, the whole crew recovered.

I was focusing on not vomiting everywhere as I leaned back in my seat.

"Well, I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting express pickup. Thought you and the boss would just come wandering back with a few supplies." Winston said, a grin tugging at his lips as he leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Yeah. That was what I expected, too, but here we are." I closed my eyes and swallowed back that urge to vomit. Just gotta keep it down, and we'll be just fine.

"How'd you get it? Kidnap the pilot, steal his keys, something like that?" Not-Jerry asked, his curiosity clearly burning through.

I shook my head, eyes closed as I took a deep breath. "Nope. Walked up, broke into the cockpit, hotwired the Bullhead and we were off."

"Bullshit. Atlas isn't that careless." Jess pointed out.

I swallowed again. "I'm not lying – it was as simple as that." I paused for a moment. "Granted, we had to stave off a Huntress and a few guys with guns, but all went well."

I was met with silence as I looked up, seeing them all staring at me like I'd just drop kicked a puppy out the door. "Guys…?"

Before anyone had a chance to respond, the window from the cockpit into the cabin was thrown open. "I don't mean to alarm you, but we've got incoming."

Winston was the first to speak. "How many?"

"Three."

Jess looked back to me then. "That's why you were getting that look. They alerted Atlas officials, and now we've got company."

I pursed my lips, shifting Crocea Mors into its rifle mode once again. "Things can never just go my fucking way, can they?"

Not-Jerry just laughed. "That's part of the fun. Now, c'mon, we've got work to do."

See, there was an issue here. We were in a civilian craft. We had no armor plating. We had no weapons. Our opponents were in military crafts, decked out with guns and armor plating. Something told me that this wasn't going to end well for us.

I sighed, getting to my feet. The urge to vomit grew to a point where I couldn't hold it back, and I emptied my stomach out the now open door that instantly sapped any sense of warmth out of the cabin.

The others were looking at me curiously and I just groaned. "Motion sickness… More common than you'd think."

I was met with only snickers in response. I rolled my eyes, biting back the urge to vomit more.

Wind whipped through the cabin, making it all but impossible to hear anyone. I leaned Crocea Mors against the wall as I donned my mask once again. The others took note of that and decided to do the same – if they hadn't had their covers blown yet, they'd rather keep it that way.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping that I'd be ready for what was to come.

"Light 'em up boys." Roman shouted, just barely audible over the howling wind. His window was shut shortly thereafter.

Jess was still unable to fire her gun effectively, so she and Winston took the left side, her reloading his weapons while he fired out at our opponents.

Not-Jerry and I were leaning out the other side, both with our weapons ready. In truth, Not-Jerry needed a better gun than a simple pistol, but it was better than nothing.

One Bullhead, painted white with the symbol of the Kingdom of Atlas painted across its side came into view, matching our speed. They too had their doors open, though rather than two guys with regular weapons, they had a guy sitting on a turret.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me…" I muttered to myself as the gun started to open fire on us.

Not-Jerry didn't seem phased, though, leaning out the side. He fired off a few rounds which harmlessly pinged off the armored side of the Bullhead.

I leaned out the side myself then, raising my Aura, just in case I got lit up by gunfire. I took aim down sights and pulled the trigger, hoping to land a solid hit on the gunner.

No dice – a hail of bullets continued to assault us.

On the other side of the Bullhead, Winston was constantly firing, swapping between his shotgun and Jess' SMG. They didn't seem to be having the issue of constant turret fire, making me think that Winston had taken down their opponent.

I ducked back behind the wall as a spray of bullets ripped through the wall behind where I had been not a second ago. I swallowed again, thumbing one of the grenades on the bandolier I had stolen.

Not-Jerry had also been forced to duck back, looking at me as I thumbed one of the grenades. He nodded, trying to push me to at least try it. _ I don't even think I can throw that far. Not to mention the wind and the fact that we're speeding over the landscape. Then again, I don't know if I don't try._ I nodded back.

He popped out first, firing several rounds from his pistol at the gunner, though it was hard to tell if he was hitting at all.

I pulled the pin and leaned back out the side of the flying deathtrap. _Roman had said there were three, but I only see two._ I shook my head and threw the grenade out towards the Atlas gunship.

The grenade didn't make impact with the ship, but the explosion rattled it slightly, getting them to jerk around. The gun firing from the ship cut off.

I saw an opportunity, and took it. I took aim down sights and brought it hovering right on the gunner's head. I pulled the trigger, closing my eyes.

I opened them once more, finding that the gunner wasn't there, and red was the new interior color of that ship. I swallowed back the urge to vomit again, though this time from taking another life rather than motion sickness.

The door was thrown open from the cockpit. "Get in here and take over – your pea shooter isn't doing shit." Roman shouted out.

Not-Jerry nodded, stepping into the cockpit. He took Roman's seat, somehow managing to keep us level through the transition. Roman stepped out, a grin on his lips as he spun his cane, looking out at the Bullhead I had just remodeled the interior of. He nodded appreciatively.

Roman didn't hesitate, either. He leveled his cane at the Bullhead and fired off three rounds, each of them crashing not into the cockpit, but into one of the rotors that kept the ship flying. Rather quickly, it spiraled out of the sky, crashing down into the open ocean beneath us.

Bullets started ripping through the comparatively thin metal of our Bullhead from behind us – the third incoming Roman had said something about.

Roman and I both ducked down to the floor, thankful we both had Aura up as I felt one of the rounds slam into my side, nearly shattering my already worn down Aura.

Then, there was a sickening sound. A crushing sound, and a splatter of blood.

I think part of me knew what I'd be about to look at, but still, I wasn't prepared.

Jess was, well, to say she was missing something important would be an understatement. There was a hole through the side of her head, brains and blood dripping out, coating the interior of the Bullhead.

I wanted to be sick – I wanted to respond in some way, but I didn't. I just stared. It was one thing to kill someone trying to kill you. It was something else completely to watch someone you know lay dead barely five feet from you.

Winston snarled, and I looked to him. He had taken a bullet through his calf in the assault, though he managed to keep standing as he leaned against the wall of the Bullhead that resembled swiss cheese with the number of holes in it.

He brought his shotgun to bear on the Bullhead still hovering at his side. He unloaded whatever remained in his weapon, a series of explosions following shortly thereafter. It was ended with the likely destroyed ship crashing down into the sea below.

Roman grimaced, though pushed past me and Jess' body. He hit a glowing red button on the wall, and the hangar door opened, revealing the Bullhead that had killed Jess. This one was the same as the others, though had front mounted guns.

Roman leveled his cane once more at the Bullhead and fired until I could hear the quiet clicking come from his weapon, denoting the lack of ammo.

The last Bullhead crashed down into the sea a moment later.

Winston and I both pulled closed the doors we were still stood by, and Roman hit the button once again to slowly close the bay door.

Needless to say, our Bullhead had seen better days. It was perforated just about everywhere with Bullet holes. The normally plain gray interior was now painted red with the blood of a fallen ally.

Despite the frigid air inside, and the corpse laying in the middle of the cabin, nobody spoke.

Winston had collapsed back against the door once it was closed, and rather quickly went to bandaging his wound with cut rags from my already destroyed coat.

Roman just stood, leaning against the wall along with his cane, studying one of the bullet holes across from him.

I, well, I just sat where I had stopped. Pretty much directly across from Winston. Crocea Mors lay on the floor next to me, still in its gun mode, ignored. My arms rested on my knees once again, my eyes locked on what bit of colorless floor I could find.

The Bullhead landed thirty minutes later, and still, nobody spoke.

I got up to my feet and pulled open the side door. Roman made his way out, cane in hand. If I had to guess, he wanted us to get moving. I turned back to Winston who was doing something similar to me, though instead he was looking at Jess' body, inert and cold.

I took a few steps over and crouched down. "C'mon, man. Let's get you moving."

He nodded, letting me help him up and out of the Bullhead.

We stepped out onto the deck of a rather large freight ship, the smell of sea air embracing me with open arms. Anything was better than the stench of death.

A few moments later, Not-Jerry joined us as I helped Winston hobble out towards the massive building like structure where crew spent their time, I thought.

Jack and Neo met us halfway.

"Well, if it isn't the conquering heroes. Welcome back." Jack paused, looking around. "Wait, where's Jess?"

"She's dead. Shot through the head." Winston said, his voice level and controlled.

Jack's expression immediately darkened. "Shit…"

Winston shook his head as we continued to hobble towards the shelter that the ship could offer us. "She knew what she was signing up for before this started." He said, keeping his voice level.

"Still… Never thought that she'd be the one to go. Always thought it'd be me, y'know?"

Winston didn't respond, just kept on hobbling forward with my help.

We got what we came for – a whole host of Paladins before they've been unveiled to the world.

This was mission success.

We had won.

You know, I always thought victory was supposed to be sweet.

* * *

**And that's that.**

**Short little Atlas Arc - focused a bit on my minor OCs more than I thought it would at first, but oh well. It won't go to waste, I promise.**

**Poor Jaune, nothing ever goes right, and even when it looks like you might've won clearly, you have to pay a price at the end. RIP Jess, even if we didn't know you well. I still feel like this is gonna screw with Jaune, even if they weren't friends, really. It was someone he knew and had worked with for a week and a half to two weeks. Seeing someone you know before your eyes has got to be bad for the psyche. More drinking your problems away for you, Jaune.**

**That said, onward. To the reviews!**

**Guest (1) - RIP Winter indeed. Gets Jaune nice and cornered only to get screwed by a wild Torchwick. Better luck next time, Winter.**

**X3 - Wait... You mean wearing metal armor will actually protect me? Preposterous. This 'combat skirt' that is made of simple cloth and nothing more will do the job just as well. More heists may come, or they may not. It depends, really. Depends on Jaune, a lot actually. Soon, the plot will tell all its secrets. Soon™.**

**NuclearPenStrokes - No, but again a good guess. One I had to go look up because I don't know the game. Glad you're enjoying. I thought RWBY needed more crime stories.**

**Engineer - At this point, it might be. Maybe it's just the semblance of alcoholic men that does it, or maybe, Jaune's semblance is to mimic other people's semblance to some degree. Wouldn't that be interesting. But yeah, Winter wants Jaune captured alive. And thus, the Winter x Jaune hate based relationship begins. And then there's Ruby who Jaune's basically been ignoring for ages, hoping that the problem goes away. And Nora. And Yang. And Ren. Oh god, Jaune is _so_ screwed once he gets back to Vale and talks to his friends. In truth, that would've been a great omake for me to have written, but oh well. The time has passed.**

**Valerious Lake - Hmm. I'm gonna have to say no to that. This story is meant to be entirely Jaune's PoV. While it would be awesome to see Winter's thinking, it just goes against my whole reasoning in having everything be first person. The pitfalls of writing decisions like this. Maybe he will be, maybe not. Only time will tell.**

**2AM Guest - You... I can't trust you anymore. Not reviewing at 2AM when it's in your name? For shame. But hey, embrace the nocturnal life style. I love it, except where I only get four hours of sleep a night. Hey, man. Internet cookies are great, and I love them. The fact that I'm earning them at all is just all kinds of great.**

**Greer - Jaune may not have the skills needed to beat the specialists, but he's got the grit and determination, damnit. Not to mention the crafty thinking to do it. The massive Aura tanking just makes sense, at least to me it does. The show made a big deal about his massive Aura reserve, but we've never really seen it come into play for a fight. Never seen Jaune tank more hits and win because he caught his opponent off guard, or just wore them down through attrition. Seems like a missed opportunity to me, but oh well.**

**Gasenator - Any time, chief. This is honestly one of my favorite parts of posting new chapters, responding to y'all. Winter is pissed, Roman with the one-liner that just fits, and Jaune kills a specialist. It's a hectic chapter, and it doesn't slow down here. Well, it does, but not a lot. I have not read it, but I'll be sure to check it out.**

**Imperial Germany - Someone died, and now another person Jaune knew, along with a few others.**

**Nobody of Nowhere - That seemed to be a theory a few of you had. Huh. Was I sending death flags unintentionally? Neo v Winter would be one hell of a battle to watch, and now that you've said it I want it too. Damnit, man, now that's going to be floating somewhere in my head for ages.**

**Josh Spicer - The start of the Jaune x Winter hate based relationship is here, my friend. And you are among the first supporters. She wanted him alive, and that scares Jaune just as much as it should. A pissed Winter is something that I think would bring even Ironwood and Ozpin to their knees. Only Glynda could match her, because she scares even me, and she's not even real.**

**And that's all the reviews - Nice.**

**Thanks for the well wishing on my vacation, guys, makes me smile.**

**Next chapter, we return to Vale and Jaune gets to sit down and have some conversations with people. Lots of people, and some pretty not fun conversations to have, too. It'll be grand.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, July 1st**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Wham, a little later on a Monday afternoon, but here we are with more Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 21]

It was well past four in the morning by the time Roman, Neo and I had returned to the apartment we called home. Roman had insisted on sticking around to ensure that the cargo got taken away and dealt with properly – something about not trusting those animals to do the job right.

Winston, Not-Jerry, and Jack had all bailed basically as soon as we had landed in port – they were just as ready to go home and get some sleep as I was. I doubt it was just me, but sleeping on that ship was difficult. It had felt like there was a shadow creeping over my shoulder at every opportunity, breathing down my neck constantly.

Even though we were now home, and I could go collapse into bed, I didn't. I trundled off towards the kitchen, glancing over my shoulder to see Roman settle himself down into his arm chair while Neo wandered back towards her room.

I hummed quietly as I grabbed two glasses and a bottle of Vodka that we had in the cabinet. I returned to the living room and poured a glass for both myself and Roman, handing it to him.

He smiled towards me and nodded. "Appreciate it, kid."

I hummed, slumping down onto the couch, letting out a long sigh. "We did it. Pulled off one of the biggest heists in recent history, and got away basically scot free."

"That we did – pulled one over on the almighty Atlas, tech-giant and global military power house. Feels pretty good, doesn't it?" Roman asked, a knowing smirk on his lips.

I chuckled slightly, nodding as I downed half the glass. "Yeah, it really does." I frowned for a minute and thought. "Those Paladins we stole – why'd we hand them off to the White Fang? I thought this was your deal?"

Roman sighed, sipping at his vodka while I was drinking with reckless abandon. "It was. My idea, my intel, my crew, your plan. This heist was completely handled and funded by yours truly." He paused, leaning back in his seat more. "But most anything I do doesn't benefit me anymore."

I furrowed my brows at that. "What do you mean?"

He just laughed mirthlessly, shaking his head. "I mean what I said. You've met Cinder and her lackies. She's the one who's pulling the strings – I just follow along."

"That doesn't sound like you."

Roman laughed again, nodding. "Damn right. This whole arrangement is less than ideal for me."

I frowned, looking down at my now empty glass. "Then why work for her?"

"Because I don't have any other choice. Because if I don't, she won't hesitate to kill me and move on to whatever poor shmuck is next on her list." He sighed, taking a longer drink of vodka this time. "Better it be me than someone else who'd crack under the pressure."

"She'll kill you?" I asked. Roman simply nodded. "Who is she? I thought she was just another crime boss like Junior."

That got Roman laughing, shaking his head. "Oh, kid, that's great. Absolutely beautiful." He continued to laugh, though eventually started to regain control. "If you want the truth? I don't know. She just showed up one day – no prior information on her anywhere. She had the backing of the White Fang, basically told me work for her and live, or refuse and die." He gestured around himself. "I assume you can see what I chose."

I hummed, pouring another glass of vodka for myself. "So, she's the reason you're stealing every last speck of Dust in Vale, and the reason we stole those Paladins." Roman nodded. "And you don't know for what reason?"

He shook his head. "Nothing concrete, no. I've got ideas, but nothing I know for sure."

I pursed my lips. "Mind sharing?"

Roman smiled kindly and nodded. "Yeah, kid. This isn't something you need to worry about. Once I know, I'll be sure to let you in the loop."

I frowned, not exactly happy about being left out of the loop.

Roman finished his vodka and let out a yawn. "Well, thanks for the drink, but I think I'm going to head to sleep." He smiled at me again as he made towards his room. "Trust me, Jaune. Things'll work themselves out."

I watched him as he made for his room again, not shifting my gaze until his door closed. _"Trust me, Jaune."_ I want to trust him – he's done nothing but help me, even when he thought I'd just walk away after all was said and done, he helped me.

But this?

This was something else.

That woman, Cinder, is holding an axe over his head, ready to drop it at a moment's notice if it strikes her fancy. Roman's being forced into working for her, into doing her dirty work just so he gets to keep living. Hardly seems fair.

I want to help – I want to get him out of this – out from under her control. But how? I'm just one guy. One guy with minimal connections, even less ability, and not even an idea of what direction to go.

I groaned, tossing back the last of my glass of vodka in one go. I took to refilling my flask as well – wouldn't do to be wandering around with it empty.

I pushed myself up to my feet and stored the bottle, dropping the two glasses into the sink before making back towards my room.

I was welcomed by the familiar train wreck that took over my room constantly, just like it had back home in Ansel. Scattered dirty clothes that would get gathered up eventually, as well as the clean ones still left, unfolded, in the basket, ignored until they were needed.

The only exception to that was the suit getup Roman had gotten for me. The dress shirt and vest, along with the pants were all hanging neatly in my closet.

My attention was drawn to my scroll which had been sitting on my bedside table since we had left for Atlas – Roman said it'd be smart to leave it behind, just in case someone was going to track us. It was blinking slowly, telling me that I had some unread messages to go through.

I sighed, plopping down onto my bed and opening up my scroll. When I thought it'd just be a few, I wasn't expecting a torrent of messages from a crew of people. At the top of the list was Ruby, who last sent me a message a few hours ago.

_Ruby: Hey, Jaune. It's been a little while since we last talked, and I get it. You're busy doing… stuff, and that's fine, but I'd really like to sit down and talk soon._

_Ruby: … Jaune, I heard about the incident at the docks. Call me when you can._

_Ruby: You're starting to worry me, Jaune. Nobody's seen you in weeks, or even heard from you. Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay._

_Ruby: My Uncle Qrow says he's seen you recently, and you were okay then. He said you should be getting in contact with me soon. What's wrong?_

_Ruby: Damnit, Jaune. I'm worried sick here. I don't know what's happened, if you're okay, if you've been hurt, or anything. I don't need to know. If you don't want to talk to me, fine, but please, just let me know you're okay. I don't like worrying like this. Please, Jaune._

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I read over the messages once again. _God, I'm an idiot, aren't I? She promised to keep my secret, and then what do I do? I ignore her. For almost two months, I ignore her. Some friend I am._ I laughed bitterly, shaking my head as I started typing out a response to her.

_Jaune: I know I'm late to responding, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I got caught up with work, y'know? I was called out of the city for a while on a job, and forgot my scroll at home. I know it's a lame excuse, but it's the truth, I promise. I'm sorry to have worried you so much. I'm fine, I promise. Just worn out and tired, but nothing more._

It was weak, and hardly did anything to make up for the worry and stress I must've put her under over the past couple weeks alone, but it was the best my sleep deprived mind could come up with.

I flipped to the next set of messages – well, calling it a set wouldn't be completely right. It was only one, and it had come in four or five days ago.

_Unknown: Drop me a line when you're back in town. We should have a chat and a drink._

_Jaune: You know, meeting up with strangers who randomly text me sounds like the bad scenario in a kidnapping PSA._

I wasn't expecting the unknown number to respond so quickly.

_Unknown: Funny, that didn't stop you drinking with me when I approached you before._

I rolled my eyes. Of course, that's who this is.

_Jaune: Very funny, Qrow._

_Qrow: My, my, my. He does have the ability to read between the lines – who would've thought?_

_Jaune: You're an asshole, you know that?_

_Qrow: You're stupid if you're only just now figuring that out._

_Jaune: I've known for ages – only just now calling you out._

_Qrow: Likely story._

_Jaune: Whatever. So, you said meet up for a drink and a conversation?_

_Qrow: On to business then. Yeah, a drink and a chat would be grand – you've been gone a few weeks, after all._

_Jaune: When, and where?_

_Qrow: Eh, couple days. Someone's coming in to town who I'm sure you'd like to meet. I'll let you know later._

_Jaune: Works for me._

I shook my head, letting the conversation end there as I scrolled down to the next sender.

_Yang: Listen, blondie. I know we're not friends or anything, but you're worrying my little sister. She's been harassing me to see if I know anything almost constantly. Just do me a favor and talk to her – or at least tell me some thing so I can put her mind at ease._

I thought about responding, but I had already handled the issue with Ruby, or at least, I had started the dialogue that might let me smooth things over. I left her message ignored and sighed, seeing that I had finished responding to what messages I had, I clicked my scroll off and laid back in bed, still fully clad in armor and clothing.

I stared up at the ceiling, my mind slowly wandering. _My father – the huntsman. The hero. He worked with Roman. Why? What reason did he have? When did he turn back? Why did he turn back? Why haven't I?_

I sighed, closing my eyes. _When I came to Vale, I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to slay Grimm, to save villages, to protect people. I didn't want this – I didn't want to become a criminal, to kill people, to lie, cheat, and steal. Yet… here I am. Living this life, working with Remnant's greatest criminal, helping him pull off the biggest heists in recent history._

I swallowed, opening my eyes again as I stared up into the pitch-black room. _Why? Why am I still here, doing what I am, helping Roman the way I am?_ I heard some quiet movement outside, though ignored it. _Ever since he took me in, he's treated me like his own. Taught me, trained me, helped me. All of it – he's responsible for me becoming who I am today._

I heard more shuffling outside, and still ignored it. _I think that's why. He's been here. Even if it's only been for a few months – he's supported me. Helped me. Been like a father to me – more than my father ever was._ My door creaked open slightly, and I snapped my gaze towards it, one hand flying almost instinctively to the hilt of one of my daggers.

I narrowed my eyes, seeing the familiar silhouette of Neo standing in the door. She tilted her head at me, likely seeing my reaction.

I sighed, releasing my hold on the blade and relaxed once more. Neo must've taken that as an okay, as she slipped into my room and closed the door behind her.

Rather quickly, I found that she had come to lay down next to me, resting a hand on my still armored chest. That got her to tap on the armor slightly, getting a metallic knocking sound to softly echo in the room.

I hummed, sitting up. "Alright, alright." I murmured quietly, pulling myself out of bed.

I stripped off the armor and the remains of the suit I was wearing, tossing them to the floor in a heap that might get dealt with later, if I thought about it. That left me in a pair of boxer shorts and a gray tee shirt.

I laid back down in bed, resting one arm behind my head. Neo quickly took to using me as a portable heater, and pillow combined in one, wrapping her arms around my torso as she rested her head on my shoulder.

I hummed quietly and draped an arm over her back, letting my hand rest on her hip lightly.

I closed my eyes, finally letting myself relax as I felt the ever-welcoming tendrils of sleep start to encroach on me.

I swore I heard Neo make a tiny noise of contentment as I fell asleep, but I well could've been imagining it, too.

[-/-]

_I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling, a bed that wasn't my own, and a constant, rhythmic computerized beeping. It didn't smell like, well, anything. It was sterile._

_I groaned, feeling sore all over. I looked around, and found that like the ceiling, the walls were white and mostly lifeless. I could see out the window, and I knew instantly I wasn't in Ansel. For one, Ansel doesn't have this much brickwork in the whole town, let alone one building._

_Second, was the fact that there was a massive wall out in the distance, and buildings as far as the eye could see, running all the way up to the edge of the wall in the distance. I was in Vale, that was the only thing that made sense._

_Why was I in Vale? What happened?_

_The last thing I remembered was…_

_Grimm. A Beowolf. Threatening my sisters, my mom. I won't let it._

_The rhythmic beeping became more erratic behind me, and I felt on edge. I expected the creature of darkness to show itself any minute._

_The door into my small hospital room opened, and an unfamiliar man stepped in, dressed in simple teal scrubs. He didn't look like he was from Vale, but then again, who was I to say? Maybe he was._

_He smiled at me. "Ah, good. You're awake." He glanced over to the heartrate monitor that was still going wild behind me. "Calm down. You're safe here – so is your family."_

_I blinked. He knew? How?_

_"I heard about what you did, Jaune. It was very noble of you." He commented, picking up a clipboard that had been hanging off the foot of my bed._

_"My sisters…" I croaked out._

_"They're all perfectly fine. You're the one who came out the worst."_

_"Where…?"_

_The nurse hummed, noting that my heartrate was starting to slow back to normal again. "They're here. Your whole family is – waiting for you to wake up." He looked up from the clipboard at me again. "You're lucky, you know. Most people would've died doing what you did, especially without Aura."_

_I coughed a few times, my throat extremely dry and scratchy. "But I… didn't."_

_The nurse nodded once more, his gentle smile still on his lips. "Right you are. You didn't." He stepped away for a moment, returning with a cup of water. "Here. Small sips – otherwise you might throw it all back up."_

_I nodded weakly. Now that I had been put at ease that my family wasn't in danger, nor was I, I took a moment to look down at myself. I didn't look too awful, at least I didn't think so. I only had a cast on my right forearm, meaning I had broken that at least. Nothing else immediately caught my eye as being wrong or broken._

_I tried to sit up, though a lance of pain shot through my chest, eliciting a yelp from me._

_The nurse looked up again from his clipboard. "Careful, bud. Try not to move much, okay? You're still healing up a few broken ribs, as well as your collarbone." He hummed a moment, setting the clipboard down again. "Take it easy. You're alive, and got lucky, but you're still not doing so hot."_

_I nodded weakly again. "Okay."_

_He made towards the door. "I'm going to go tell your family that you're awake. They'll be in shortly."_

_I nodded again, willing to take the nurse's advice and just lay back and wait._

_A minute later, my mother stepped through the door, tears in her eyes, and a smile tugging at her lips. Dad was nowhere to be seen. "Jaune… You're okay…"_

_I smiled weakly. "Hey, mom."_

_She broke down into tears then, though kept herself from wrapping me in a hug despite how much she wanted to. "I was so worried."_

_I nodded once more, smiling slightly. "I did what I had to do… I had to protect you and the others. Just like dad would've."_

_She nodded. "You did a fantastic job, sweetie. Really, you did." She said through tears that were streaking down her face._

_"Don't cry, mom. I'm okay, really. Just a few broken bones." I said, trying to reassure her._

_She just cried more._

_I hated seeing her like this – normally she was so strong, so sure of herself and her command over us. She had to be, what with eight kids and all. Crying, shaking and barely able to speak – it didn't fit her._

_She remained that way for a few minutes before finally getting control of herself. "I'm going to go get your sisters, okay?"_

_I nodded. "Hey, mom?"_

_She stopped in the doorway, looking back towards me? "What is it?"_

_"Where's dad?"_

_She just bit down on her lower lip. "He'll be here soon, sweetheart. He got called in to work."_

[-/-]

I groaned, stretching slightly as I blinked the last of the sleep out of my eyes.

The sun was shining in through my window, meaning that it was some time in the afternoon.

I tried to sit up, though found that I was restrained by a weight snuggled onto my chest. I looked down, finding that Neo hadn't moved all that much in the night. She was still half laying on me with her head nestled practically under my chin. Her arms were wrapped around my torso still, and she had thrown one leg across mine.

This wasn't completely new to me – waking up and sharing a bed with someone. My younger sister would often come to my room when she had bad dreams and crawl into my bed with me, or sit in my lap as I played games if I was still up.

While it wasn't completely new, it was in this context. Over the past few days, Neo had taken to quietly creeping into my room to sleep with me. It was sweet, really. I also found it rather comforting having her there with me after I had gotten used to it.

I looked down at the tricolored girl snuggled into my chest. She was dressed similarly to me – just a rather oversized navy-blue tee shirt that went down to about her mid-thigh. She looked so calm and peaceful, as she laid there, latched on to me. A gentle smile had spread over her lips as well.

Part of me just wanted to lay here and go back to sleep, not having the heart to wake her, but I thought better of it. I had things that I wanted to do today, and that couldn't be done with her sleeping on me all day.

It was odd, though. Ever since that little incident back in the bunker, she'd been just as, well, her in public, but took to being like this when it was just us. I didn't mind – I wasn't one much for PDA, so this was fine. Yet, I still wasn't completely sure what our relationship was. We had kissed a few times, and she slept in my bed with me. It all sounded like we were together, but I wasn't completely sure.

I sighed and gently shook her, my hand still resting on her hip lightly. "C'mon, Neo. Wake up."

She just snuggled back into my chest and tightened her grip.

This was also starting to become something of a morning ritual, or afternoon ritual. It depended, really. Our sleep schedules were weird.

I shook her again. "At least let me up – I've got stuff to do."

She shook her head, maintaining a strong grip on me.

I inched my hand up so that it was resting on her side now, rather than her hip. "Let me up, or else." I said, a slightly playful tone in my voice.

She looked up at me, a heatless glare in her eyes that seemed to say 'You wouldn't dare.'

"Care to test that theory?" I asked tauntingly, a grin spreading over my lips.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

I chuckled and shook my head. "You did this to yourself."

I proceeded to tickle the tiny assassin laying on my chest.

To be fair, she managed not to react for about a solid ten seconds or so before she started to squirm and wiggle underneath the fingers of a professional tickler. It's a title I proudly earned and retained thanks to having seven sisters, all of whom were ticklish. It was just a matter of where.

Neo decided to try and fight fire with fire – just of a different sort.

She shoved her face into my neck and started nipping at the sensitive flesh there.

I bit back a groan of pleasure at that, though stopped the tickling. She, however, continued.

She continued to nip and bite at my neck, eliciting a few groans from me as she came to be straddling my hips.

She granted me a moment of reprieve as she placed both her hands on my chest, splaying her fingers out over my clothed chest.

She had a devilish smirk and an evil look in her eye to boot.

I sighed, reaching up, I pulled her down to me, crashing her lips into mine for a moment. Rather than deepening it, I broke away laying back.

She pouted at me, still looking down as her hands were splayed out over my chest.

"Trust me, Neo. I want to, as I'm sure you're aware." She ground her hips against mine in agreement. "But, I'm not ready. I don't want to rush this, okay?"

She frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Let's just take it slow – enjoy it. I'm not going anywhere, nor are you."

She stayed that way for a minute, seeming to think as she looked down at me. She nodded after a while.

I smiled, pulling her back down for a gentle kiss.

We broke apart after a few moments, me smiling slightly as I shifted her off my chest. "Now, if you want you can go back to sleep. I've got stuff to do."

She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, sitting on my bed as I got up to my feet.

"You can be upset at me all you want; it won't do you any good." I said as I gathered a change of clothes from my basket.

I glanced back to see her stick her tongue out at me. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm gonna grab a shower." I paused for a minute. "And no, before you even think about it, you're not joining me."

She pouted again and glared at me.

I rolled my eyes and made my way from my room.

Roman was nowhere to be seen, though I wouldn't be surprised if he was still asleep, much like Neo and I both wanted to be.

I took a quick shower – an old habit that came from sharing with a house full of women. I got used to waking up earlier than everyone else so I could take a quick, hot shower while we still had warm water. One too many freezing cold showers taught me that it was worth losing that extra half an hour of sleep.

I emerged, letting Neo slip past me, watching as she intentionally put more sway in her step than was needed. I shook my head, wandering out into the kitchen, I started brewing a pot of coffee for myself and Roman, whenever he woke up. I also set out to making Neo and I breakfast.

I settled on simple – eggs, sausage links, and toast. It wasn't extravagant, but my cooking never was.

Neo emerged from the shower just about as breakfast was finished.

I looked up to her. "Hey, go tell Roman that I've made breakfast if he wants any."

She nodded, turning around and knocking on the master criminal's door. She let herself in a moment later, emerging with a bedraggled Roman trudging behind her.

The great Roman Torchwick too could look exhausted and like a literal zombie in the morning. This was especially true if he hadn't had any coffee and a shower.

I chuckled, shaking my head. I stepped away from the sizzling sausage links, and poured a cup of coffee for Roman, getting a glass of orange juice for Neo while I was up, too.

Roman smiled gratefully up at me as I handed him the mug, not saying anything as he started sipping at it. Neo took hers and offered a similar smile as I turned back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Roman was scrolling through the news on his scroll, while Neo was digging ravenously into her plate of food.

I opened up my scroll as well, noting that I had gotten a response from Ruby a couple hours ago.

_Ruby: Thank god, at least you're okay. I've got school today, but I'll be in Vale around four to get some parts for my baby. If you're around, we should hang out._

I looked at the time, noting that it was a bit past three.

_Jaune: Sure, I'm free._

Ruby responded pretty quickly.

_Ruby: Great! Meet you at the park in central?_

_Jaune: See you there._

_Ruby: You know, you suck at responding to messages in a timely manner._

_Jaune: Hey, I've got a screwy sleep schedule._

_Ruby: Did you seriously just wake up?_

_Jaune: … You can't prove anything._

_Ruby: You totally did!_

_Ruby: Oops, I got caught. Gotta go – see you in a bit._

I shook my head, a slight smile on my lips as I leaned back in my seat.

Neither Roman nor Neo paid any attention to me as I finished up my messaging with Ruby.

I shrugged and went to finishing off my breakfast as well, downing most of my coffee in one go as well, now that it had cooled a bit. Despite that, it still burnt on the way down, though that was what I wanted. I had poured a couple shots worth of vodka into it.

Granted, it tasted awful, but that didn't bother me too terribly. _Roman's right, you know. You are a day drinker._ I internally rolled my eyes. Didn't matter that I was a day drinker, and well on my way to alcoholism. I'd be fine, I've been functioning well up to this point, haven't I?

I collected the three empty plates from the table and dumped them off in the sink – I cooked, so one of those two would clean. Probably Neo, because Roman couldn't be bothered.

"Hey, Roman?" I asked, getting him to look up from his scroll, bags still under his eyes.

"Hm?"

"Any idea where I could purchase Dust grenades?" I asked, the bandolier of simple grenades hanging in the back of my mind.

"Depends. If you're saying legally, there are probably some Huntsman shops that'd sell. Otherwise? I know a few dependable guys who'd be able to set you up."

I pursed my lips. "I'll go with the latter of the two – won't be tracked, no face to put the name to, or help connect the purchase to me or my mask if I use 'em."

Roman nodded appreciatively, a small smile on his lips. "Good thinking." He flipped back over to his scroll, and I got a message from the master criminal. "There, ask for her. Tell her I sent you, and you'll be set – it'll be put on my tab."

I nodded. "Great. Thanks, Roman."

He waved a dismissive hand, looking back to his scroll to browse news stories. "Don't mention it, kid."

I shrugged, wandering back to my room. I strapped Crocea Mors to my hip, sheathed the daggers at the base of my back, and clipped on the empty bandolier of grenades. I didn't want them, and so handed them off to Winston who was pleased to have more explosives to play with.

Dust grenades were just more out there, and tricky to fight against. Considering that was my only real win condition – out smarting and tricking my opponents if they were more skilled than me, I figured these would be a nice addition.

I wore the chainmail beneath my clothes, though the heavy armor was still completely shot and needed to be repaired by our smith friend. That left me feeling a little exposed, but I'd be fine – I was in the middle of Vale, after all.

I left the apartment, making for the place Roman had indicated I go.

It wasn't a long walk – only about fifteen minutes from the apartment. Part of me suspected that I had a particular Qrow following me, but I couldn't prove anything, nor could I spot him.

I arrived at the rundown shop that looked like it rarely got customers, but still had the glowing sign to tell me that it was open.

I pushed in, and was met by a young woman. She was, maybe, four or five years older than I was. She had long black hair, and fair skin. Her eyes were a light brown color, and she smiled at me. "Welcome, what can I do for you today?"

I didn't respond as I strode up to the counter. The girl tilted her head slightly, though didn't say anything. "Torchwick sent me." I said rather quietly.

The girl nodded and waved me to follow her into the back of the shop.

Behind a series of closed and locked doors that she had to take me through, and down a set of stairs, we were dumped into a rather large basement. One that had crates of Dust all around us, each clearly marked with what kind they contained.

"So, I'll ask again: what can I do for you today?" The woman asked again, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned back against a wall.

"Dust grenades – assorted types. Anything that you'd be able to attach to this." I said, clicking the bandolier off and handing it to her.

She nodded appreciatively, looking over the bandolier. "Dust grenades, you say?" I nodded, and she grinned. "You've definitely come to the right place."

She pushed off the wall and led me deeper in to the basement, leading me to a wall of boxes. She unlocked one, revealing a large collection of Fire Dust grenades. "Best you can get on the market. Quality guaranteed, that whole deal that I'm sure you know by now." She reached in and grabbed a few of the handheld explosives. "These suit your fancy?"

They were bright red, just like Fire Dust. "I take it I can paint over it, to hide what kind of Dust it is?"

She nodded. "That you can."

"Fantastic."

She grinned. "So, I'll take that as a sale made?"

I nodded. "Definitely. Two fire, two ice, two lightning, and two gravity."

She nodded, bustling off and hooking the grenades onto the bandolier as she opened each box. "That it?"

"For the moment. Assuming these are the real deal, you can expect to see a lot more of me."

That got her attention. She nodded. "Like I said, quality guarantee."

"We'll see about that." I said, taking the bandolier back. I strapped it back to my chest, finding that the grenades didn't add much weight.

"The name's Liz, by the way." She said, extending a hand.

"Jaune. A pleasure." I said, offering a firm shake.

"I'm sure it is." I rolled my eyes and let my hand fall back to my side.

"Roman said he'd cover it on his tab." She nodded, rocking back on her heels. "Then I'm off. I'll see you later, I'm sure."

She winked at me flirtatiously. "I look forward to it, Jaune."

I let her lead me out of the basement and back into the shop proper. From there, I left with a wave over my shoulder.

I was equipped with grenades now, as well as Crocea Mors and my knives. Not to mention the simple dirty tricks Roman had taught me. Things were looking pretty good for me.

I passed the little time before Ruby was due to show up looking down over the crowds of people, civilian and Huntsman alike wandering through the streets of Vale.

Just like them, I let my mind wander. _Blood. A hole in the head. Brains splattered everywhere._ I felt the urge to be sick well up inside me, though bit it back as best I could. _They died so similarly… One, my enemy. Someone I killed to ensure I lived. The other, an ally. Someone who died because I failed at my job, because I was reckless and didn't think about the risks._

I shook my head, closing my eyes for a moment. _In a way, it's my fault she's dead. Just like I killed that thug… I killed her. God damnit…_

I returned to the real world from my thoughts, noticing a red blur rushing its way through the crowd, towards me. I couldn't help but to chuckle. I braced myself for the impact that was sure to come.

* * *

**And I cut this off right before Jaune and Ruby talk. Why? Because if I left it in, this chapter would be about twice as long, and that's just not what I'm after.**

**Onwards, to the reviews!**

**Greer - Roman actually has reasons for taking Jaune in, and they make him look like a better person, like someone with a heart rather than a thief gone terrorist.**

**Engineer - Murphy's Law in practice. Love it, or hate it, it's there and seems to dictate a lot of this story. That was something that always bothered me, that victory always seemed to come for free in a lot of stories, that the main character didn't lose anything immense. It doesn't always have to happen, but a clean victory every time kinda bothers me because it's not realistic. I know this is Fanfiction, but I like _some_ realism. Brown hair huntress _probably_ won't come back. She was an OC that just kinda got written to fill the role of antagonist in that little village. I am a big fan of making both sides sympathetic when I can. So, while we got no backstory on Roman in the show, this is what I've got to make him a likable guy who we want to see win. You're pretty right on the money, because Jaune agrees. He sticks to Roman because he's more of a father than his actual father ever really was to him. Ruby likely will want to gut Jason Arc when she knows the whole story, if she ever does. And a welcoming party indeed, one that is going to show up next chapter. Winter X Jaune X Qrow. Oh, dear god, what have you created?**

**2AM Guest - Hmm. You have regained some of my trust. _Some._ And hey, if you want to drop a review, I'd love that, and if not, that's fine too. You do you, man. I'll take those cookies and prepare myself for the next ten paragraph rant that I'm sure will come.**

**Geezuz - Oooh, he misses the easier one, but gets the harder one. Well done, sir. Not-Jerry's mask was indeed Hoxton's from Payday 2, one of my favorite games.**

**X3 - A hint of backstory. More will come as the story progresses. Glad the Jaune and Roman interaction is pleasing.**

**Nobody of Nowhere - Paul, AKA Not-Jerry, is probably my favorite of all the OC's I've made, just in general. He's the one we've had the most time with, and is just a cool guy imo at least. He's got more stuff to do in this story. RIP Jess. Jason is Jaune's father. Jason Arc - he was mentioned a long while ago... I don't know what chapter exactly, but that's Jaune's dad's name in my RWBYverse.**

**Josh Spicer - Wouldn't that be all kinds of fun? Jaune is in place of Roman. And yeah, Jess' death was sudden. Nobody asked for it, but you can see a little why it's important here, and the effects it's had on Jaune.**

**Valerious Lake - Well, if I get enough requests for it, I may make a separate story where I make little one shots like that from other character's PoVs because I agree, that'd be a neat idea.**

**Imperial Germany - F.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hoo, boy. Today's Friday, which means more Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 22]

I was right to brace for impact.

Ruby didn't seem to care that I hadn't seen or spoken to her in a few months' time as she charged headfirst into me, making me skid back in the grass a few inches as I stopped her forward momentum with a grunt.

I chuckled, reaching down and ruffling her hair a bit. "Well, good to see you too, Little Red."

Ruby, predictably, dodged out of my grasp as I ruffled her hair, pouting at me rather adorably as a slight pink adorned her cheeks.

"I'm just glad you're okay." She mumbled out quietly, almost like she didn't want me to hear her.

I rocked back on my heels, hand resting comfortably on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "Of course I'm okay. I'm me, after all."

"And that's why I was worried, you goof." She paused a moment, looking me over. It had been a while since she last saw me, and in that time I'd gotten a fair wardrobe change, not to mention shorter hair and a few new weapons to boot.

"You, uh, you look good, Jaune." She commented a little awkwardly. "T-that's not to say you didn't before, but you look better? No, I don't mean – "

I chuckled and waved a dismissive hand at her awkward rambling. "Thanks, Ruby. I figured it was time for an outfit change after all was said and done, y'know?"

She nodded meekly as her gaze wandered over my form. Her eyes lingered on the grenades, and then the repainted Crocea Mors, and lastly the hip flask that was strapped opposite Crocea Mors. "Definitely. You're also upgrading as you go." She took a step closer towards me, reaching out and eyeing the purple Gravity Dust grenade that was hanging off the bandolier I wore. "Dust Grenades. I don't know anyone who uses them because they're so unpredictable and expensive."

I shrugged. "Just bought 'em this morning, but they seemed like a good idea at the time."

She nodded. "Not bad thinking – just have to hope they don't backfire on you." Her gaze trailed down to the hip flask then. She didn't make any comment, though I had a good feeling she was judging the fact that I was drinking enough to carry around a flask. Just like a particular uncle she has.

I hummed. "Here's hoping."

Ruby eyed Crocea Mors on my hip as well, frowning slightly. "I see you repainted Crocea Mors." The slight sadness in her voice cutting through me like a hot knife through butter.

"Er, yeah. It felt kind of out of place being white and yellow against gray and blue." Granted, that wasn't the primary reason it was painted, but the excuse held water.

She just nodded, taking a step back. "So, what do you wanna do?"

I let out a yawn, stretching my arms up over my head. "Honestly? Go back to bed for another two days. Other than that? I don't care, really. I'll let you decide."

"Of course you'd want to go back to sleep, Mister waking up at three in the afternoon." She said, sticking her tongue out at me.

I rolled my eyes. "First, you can't prove anything. Second, I only just got back into town last night at four in the morning. Sleeping in is justified."

She grinned slightly. "So, you admit you did sleep in until three?"

I pursed my lips, shaking my head. "I admit nothing."

"Mhm, I _totally_ believe you."

I sighed. This wasn't a fight I was going to win if experience with my sisters taught me anything. The best thing to do would be to admit defeat and move on. "Whatever you say, Little Red." I paused, glancing around. "So, are we gonna stand here all afternoon, or are we gonna go do something?"

Ruby nodded. "Oh, I know what we should do." I raised my brows at that. "Follow me."

"Alright, lead the way." I said, unhooking the flask from my hip and taking a quick shot. The constant warmth from the vodka was comforting as it settled in my stomach.

Whatever it was Ruby had planned involved dragging me out to an abandoned part of town. To be particular, this was pretty close to where I had fought and killed Baxton to get her back. We were safe now, of course. This was Junior's territory, even if it was mostly unused. I didn't have to worry about thugs jumping us for no reason.

"Uh, Ruby? Where are we going?" I asked, not all that sure why it was we were coming all the way out here.

She stopped and looked around, nodding when she thought we were alone. "Here."

"Alright, what are we doing here, exactly?" Granted, I had an idea, but I'd rather she confirm it than have me shooting in the dark.

"We need to talk. Nobody's going to overhear us here." She didn't sound like her normal self. She sounded more mature, more controlled than the shy but excitable girl I knew.

I sighed, rocking back on my heels. "Alright. Then talk." I knew where this was heading now, but I wasn't going to lead. Better to let her and answer what she wants to know rather than letting more slip than was needed.

"Why?" She asked simply, leaning back against a nearby crate, her gaze focused on me.

I tilted my head. "You're going to have to be more specific."

She pursed her lips as she thought. "Why do what you do? Work for Torchwick? Kill people? Steal Dust? I thought you wanted to be a Huntsman, not a criminal."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, chewing on the inside of my cheek. "You're right. When I was young, I wanted to be a Huntsman – just like my old man. I wanted to protect people, to kill the Grimm and save villages. I wanted to be a hero." I paused a moment. "I begged my dad for years to train me, to teach me so that I could be a hero just like he was. Every time he just told me no. Told me I couldn't, or didn't have what it took. He taught one of my older sisters when she asked, but never me."

I took a shot from my flask. "That pissed me off more than anything. What did she have that I didn't? How was she better than me? I still don't know the answer to those questions." I paused, looking down at the flask in hand. "But I wasn't deterred. I started to train myself as best I could – ran laps, went to the gym, practiced with a sword when I could. Made do with what I had, and all that."

I shrugged, looking back up to see Ruby listening intently. "Once I turned seventeen, I applied for Beacon. Never told my parents or my sisters. I stole all the Lien we had saved for a rainy day – stole my dad's sword, and left." I patted Crocea Mors absentmindedly. "Showed up here in Vale, and things went to shit."

"Beacon denied me – the kid with no formal training, no Aura, no recommendations, no nothing." I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "Makes sense now that I look at it, but at the time I was crushed. I told myself I couldn't go back home because I knew they'd just see me as a failure and a lost cause that I had been up until that point."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "So, I stayed here. Resolved to make myself something – to be better than the failure they had to look after because I was family. Thing is, I had no idea where to start. I had no skills, no connections, no nothing."

I blew out a slow sigh. "That was until I met with Roman. He took me in – gave me a chance where nobody else did. He unlocked my Aura, taught me how to fight and survive in the world, and didn't expect a damn thing in return. He showed me that I wasn't a lost cause, that I could fight, think on my feet and generally be something."

"He was there for me when nobody else was. Took a chance on a kid with no skills, and nothing to provide in exchange." I paused, looking back to Ruby. "You wanted to know why? That's why. I do what I do because this is the only thing that's ever given me an opportunity to prove myself."

Ruby frowned, looking down at her boots. "So, you do it because of loyalty?"

I hummed, drumming my fingers against the metal flask. "That's one way of looking at it."

She bit her lower lip. "That's why you kill and steal, too, then. Because of your loyalty to Torchwick?"

"Sort of." I paused for a minute, looking up at the overcast sky that held a looming threat of rain over our heads. "I do it because I'm good at it, too. Because out of everything I ever tried my hand at, this is what I excelled in."

"Do you… Enjoy it?" She asked timidly, still keeping her eyes trained on her boots.

"Depends what you're asking about. Stealing? I'd be fine without it, but I'm not terribly bothered, either." I paused for a moment. "You know, the first time I ever killed someone, it was on accident. I got so lost in the fight or flight of the moment, so caught up in the it's me or him mentality that I didn't notice I had broken his Aura until I bashed a hole in his skull."

I closed my eyes and shuddered slightly, shaking my head. "That image, the scene, his haunting look of acceptance; I don't know that it'll ever leave me." I glanced back over towards the small redhead. "In short? No, I don't like killing. It's a last resort – when there is just no other option."

"If you don't like it, you don't have to stay… You can change." Ruby pointed out, glancing up to meet my gaze.

I hummed quietly. "You're right, I could. I could turn my back on the only friends and family I have now – give up any trust, loyalty, and connections I've built just so I don't have to run from the law. So I could have another chance at becoming a hero."

"But I won't. I did that once when I ran away from my family to come here. I abandoned them to chase my dream – a dream that wasn't realistic or even remotely possible. I won't do it again. I won't turn my back on my friends and family for another shot at something I'm not cut out for."

Ruby frowned, rocking back and leaning more against the wall. "I guess I can see what you mean. You ran away from home to chase your dream, and got told you couldn't without ever being given the chance. Now, you've built something for yourself, and the idea of throwing it away to chase that dream you were denied before feels too risky."

I nodded, looking up at the sky again, feeling as a few rain drops began to splatter against my face. "I'm afraid. Afraid to lose what stability I found. I've got people who trust and rely on me now, just like I know I can do the same for them." I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm not about to turn my back on that."

"Still, though. What you're doing is wrong, Jaune. You and Torchwick are responsible for the Dust crisis in Vale. You're ruining people's lives." She pointed out.

"You're right. I'm responsible for the Dust crisis in Vale, at least in part. But you want to know something? It feels good. To know that I accomplished something. That I'm part of something bigger than myself – that I'm not a complete failure like I'd always been told."

Ruby hummed quietly as she too looked up at the sky with me. "You know, you didn't have to ignore me for months on end."

I chuckled awkwardly, running fingers through my hair. "At first, I thought it would be smart to just let you have some space – to figure things out for yourself, y'know? After that, well, I got busy. Training, preparing, working. A social life fell to the wayside."

The small redhead glanced over to me, catching my attention. "That heist down at the docks. You were there, weren't you?"

"We both know the answer to that question."

"I read online that there were several casualties – mostly the White Fang, but also two others. Huntsmen in training… Did you… Did you kill them?"

I shook my head. "I wasn't even in the docks proper when that happened. I never saw them, or the fight."

Ruby bit her lower lip and kept her gaze trained on me. "Then Torchwick killed them. Two innocent kids who had dreams just like yours – to become heroes and Huntsmen."

I shook my head again. "He didn't do it. At least, he didn't deal a finishing blow." I met her silver eyes – eyes that seemed to be digging down into my heart, trying to rip the answers straight out of me and make me feel awful all the while. "Believe it or not, there is honor among thieves. Roman's got morals – morals that won't let him kill innocents if he can avoid it." I laughed slightly, shaking my head. "He told me that by killing innocents, you become the monster people claim you are. You become no better than the Grimm."

Ruby narrowed her eyes, and the rain began to fall more regularly now, slowly drenching the both of us, though I wasn't bothered. The rain never did bother me all that much. "Have you ever thought that he might be a monster no better than the Grimm? He's Vale's most wanted, not to mention he's high up on Atlas' list, too. Takes more than being a master thief to get there I'd imagine."

I frowned, though shook my head. "No. I know him. He's no monster. He's eccentric, and damn good at what he does, but he's not a murderer. Not unless he has no other option."

Ruby shook her head. She reached back and pulled up her hood to try and help keep herself dry in the steady drizzle that was starting to soak us. "Just… Be careful, Jaune. You're my friend, regardless of your occupation. I don't want to see you get in over your head."

I smiled as best I could. "Don't worry about me, Little Red. I can handle myself."

She just rolled her eyes. "Can't stop me, so you'll just have to deal with it."

I took note of the fact that she was starting to huddle more under her cloak as she tried to keep the rain from completely soaking her. "C'mon, let's get you out of the rain before you freeze."

She glanced over to me. "How are you not cold?"

I shrugged. "This isn't cold – won't be until it drops another thirty degrees."

She shook her head, pushing off the wall and following behind me. "Whatever, weirdo."

I led her back into Vale proper with me, the rain quickly growing more and more oppressive as we wound our way through the streets. Neither of us spoke as we hurried through the streets. I wouldn't say it was awkward, but it wasn't like we were at ease, either.

I suspect a lot of that had to do with the fact that she still hadn't forgiven the fact that I'd been ignoring her for basically two months. That wouldn't be something that'd just vanish overnight, and I was fine with that. I screwed up – she had plenty reason to be upset with me.

_She doesn't know about Atlas. Granted, that'd be breaking news, and all over the place. Is there a chance that they kept it quiet, so as not to cause a panic and uproar about them being stolen? I know we blew up the train, and the evidence with it, but I'm sure Atlas is rearing to get their stolen Paladins back in their hands._

After about ten minutes of walking, I led her into the shelter of a small café – the same café that we had met up with Yang and her team the first time around, funnily enough.

The shop was packed with pedestrians – Huntsmen and civilian alike who were taking shelter from the rain that was pelting the sidewalks outside. I nudged Ruby off to try and find us a table if she could while I got us both something warm to fend off the cold that had cut through our attire.

I pushed my way through the throng of people, finding Ruby sat at the window facing out to the street. It wasn't a table, but a long bar that spanned the whole front of the shop. What surprised me was that she had managed to snag a couple of seats together.

I slid into the seat next to her and set the hot chocolate down in front of her, which she happily took and went about devouring. _I'm not sure she's even tasting it. Rather, I think she's just after the warmth._

I couldn't help but to chuckle to myself as I leaned forward on the small bar that we were seated at, resting my chin in the palm of one hand. I took a sip of the coffee that I had mixed with a couple shots of Vodka to give it that extra kick that it was missing.

"What's so funny?" She asked, glancing over to me.

I just snickered and shook my head. "Nothing, don't worry about it."

She pouted. "Come on, Jaune. Tell me."

I shook my head. "It's nothing, Little Red. I promise."

Her pout only grew in its intensity. "Please?"

I sighed. I wasn't willing to fight a cute war at the moment. "Fine, fine. Just found it amusing that you've already drunk your whole hot chocolate. Didn't even seem like you were tasting it."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Yeah, well, not all of us can be portable space heaters immune to the cold."

I shook my head, a small smile on my lips. "It's great, really. You should try it sometime."

Her cheeks got a slight tinge of pink as she averted her gaze from me. "M-maybe I will."

I shrugged a shoulder, taking another sip of my coffee. "You said you were coming in to Vale to pick up parts for Crescent Rose, right? You already done that?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I came and found you first thing."

I nodded. "Right, so when the rain lets up, want to head over and get whatever you need?"

She smiled wide, nodding. "Sounds good."

I hummed, looking back out at the rain pelting the sidewalk and street constantly as my thoughts began to wander, dragging me off into my own world. _I always thought victory was supposed to be sweet. Every time you read about it, or see it depicted somewhere, a valiant battle has been won, despite the odds._

_That's just fiction. In the real world, everything has a price. Sometimes you get lucky – sometimes you win, and the world doesn't conspire to take something in return. In reality, if it was a victory worth winning, there was a price to be paid along with it._ I shook my head.

_Was our victory worth it? The Paladins – we just handed them off to the White Fang, and to get them we lost Jess. She died, not so that we could have them, but so Roman's boss could take them and outfit her little army with new toys. Again, I have to wonder, was it worth it?_ I took another long sip from my coffee, staring blankly out the window.

_It doesn't feel like it. It feels like she died, and we have nothing to show for it. We paid the price and won fucking nothing._

Ruby nudged me in the side with her elbow, shaking me out of my world. "What's up?"

She tilted her head as she looked at me. "I should be the one asking you that."

I blinked, frowning slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Just a second ago? You looked so… defeated and sad, I guess. Something on your mind?"

I waved a dismissive hand, downing more of my coffee. "Don't sweat it, Little Red. Just thinking."

She frowned, keeping her gaze trained on me. "You can talk to me, you know that, right?"

I nodded. "I know." I glanced over towards her again. "But it's not a problem, really. Just an unpleasant memory."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, though nodded, accepting my answer. She likely knew she wasn't going to be able to force me to open up and talk if I didn't want to.

I glanced back outside, noting that the rain was starting to let up a little. "You ready to get going?"

"Sure, I'm ready whenever you are."

I pushed myself up from my seat, downing the last of my coffee, enjoying the burn that came from both the vodka and the hot liquid as it came to settle in my stomach. _It won't be for nothing. I fucked up. I'm the reason she's dead now, but I won't make that a waste. We fought for those Paladins – we'll put them to use._

I forced my way through the throng of people with Ruby trailing behind me, gently holding the back of my vest for whatever reason. It didn't bother me any, so I wasn't going to worry about it.

Ruby and I fought our way out of the packed café that was almost assuredly well over capacity, and out onto the street. The rain had let up significantly and now was only lightly drizzling – nowhere near enough to get us drenched in any reasonable time.

I glanced back to the short redhead. "Take the lead, Little Red."

"Alright, just be sure to keep up." She said with a slight devilish smirk as she took off like a bolt of lightning down the street.

I shook my head and chased after her as best I could.

This kept up for a few blocks, getting to a point where she'd stop and wait for me to catch up before speeding off again. After about fifteen minutes of this, though, she led me into a small weapons shop.

Unlike the one that I had sold Crocea Mors to, this one appeared to deal more in parts and pieces than completed weapons. I noted that the sign out front advertised that they'd willingly make you a custom piece, so long as you bought the parts and paid for labor.

Ruby didn't take too much time scurrying around the shop, flitting through a few pieces and comparing one that looked identical to the other in each hand. What she was comparing, I couldn't say, nor would I even try to comprehend.

As Ruby was making towards the counter to purchase the collection of foreign parts to me, my scroll buzzed. I glanced down, noting a text from Qrow.

_Qrow: You free tomorrow? My friend just buzzed in from out of town – figure you'd like to grab some drinks and have a chat._

_Jaune: Sure. Name the time and place, and I'll be there._

_Qrow: Eh, I'll be sure to let you know where I've stumbled into when I do._

I rolled my eyes and pocketed my scroll, rocking back on my heels as I eyed Ruby happily making her way towards me with a bag of assorted things.

"Find everything you need?"

She nodded. "Yeah, this place is great about that. Even though they're really small, they have just about everything I'd ever dream of needing. Both for my weapon, and yours. They're a great place to come if you need spare parts or a repair done on your weapon if you can't do it yourself."

"Hm. Noted, then." Ruby brushed past me and out into the street. It had since stopped raining, and the sun was just starting to peek out from behind a wall of overcast clouds that had been shadowing the city all day. "Anything else planned, or are we out of things to do?"

Ruby shook her head. "I've got nothing. Got to talk to you a bit, and got some spare parts for my baby, so I've got no plans."

I hummed, rocking back on my heels as I let my hand rest on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "Well, I'm not exactly brimming with ideas, either. The best idea I've got is to wander back home and collapse into bed so I can catch up on sleep."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Fine, then. Go be a party pooper and sleep the night away, too." She said, sticking her tongue out at me.

I just smiled slightly and shook my head. "Yeah, well, some of us can actually appreciate good sleep."

"Psh, sleep? That's for weak willed people."

I snickered. "I'm sure you'll change your opinion when you get into Beacon."

She just shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."

I let out a yawn to denote the fact, just a little bit more, that I was absolutely shot, still. Three days on a ship with only about four hours of sleep total really does a number on you, apparently. "Yeah, well, that said, I'm gonna head home."

Ruby nodded. "Alright. Thanks for actually, y'know, talking to me? I'd appreciate it if we didn't go two months without speaking a single word to one another in the future."

I grinned. "I'll make sure to check in with you in a month and a half then."

She just pouted. "Not funny!"

I chuckled. "Really? Because your reaction tells a different, albeit cute, story."

Her cheeks went a shade of pink and she burrowed down into her somewhat damp cloak. "Meanie…" She mumbled.

I shook my head. "Sorry, Little Red. You just made it too easy. Seriously, though. I won't ignore you like that again. And sorry for making you worry so much, too."

She smiled slightly, though her cheeks were still a tinge pink. "You doof… I'm gonna worry no matter what."

I walked over and rubbed her head a bit, which she tried to dodge out of, though ultimately failed. "Just try not to worry as much. I'll be fine. I can handle myself, after all."

She hummed and wrapped me in a hug, mumbling something quietly into my chest.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." I said truthfully.

"Just be careful, Jaune." She said a little louder.

I hummed and returned the hug for a moment. "I will."

She released me after a long couple moments, stepping away. Her cheeks were still stained pink as she turned the other direction. "See you later, Jaune."

I hummed, watching as she wandered off into Vale on her own.

I turned and made back towards the apartment I called home. I hadn't been lying about being exhausted, still. Sleep was definitely in the cards.

_That could've gone a lot worse, all things considered._

* * *

**And bam, done.**

**In truth, this chapter was meant to be a bit longer, and originally I had Qrow's scene in here, too. That just didn't happen though. As it turns out, being awake for thirty six hours straight is bad for brains and especially brains that need to write and make sense. I just kinda realized when I was trying to put together Qrow's scene, I was struggling to make sense of it in my head, so there was little chance it made any sense at all. So, it's been pushed back and you get what I wrote when not sleep deprived.**

**But yeah, happy day after the 4th to my fellow Ahmuricans. Hope you all enjoyed the hangover and holiday of making stuff explode just as much as I'm enjoying the sleep deprivation from mine.**

**That said, on to the reviews!**

**Dino Guy - Well, here's some Ruby fluff and chat, and, surprisingly the fallout wasn't too bad for Jaune here. A lot of that is because of how long its been - she's upset at him, but she's also Ruby. The worst she'd do is be pouty at him, which is basically what we got. In the end, though? She's still just as sweet as ever on our bumbling blond buffoon.**

**Engineer - He's concerned, and rightly so. The question is, what's he gonna do about it? His relationships are just all over the place - Ruby, somehow, didn't cut him into shreds. Just tried to get him to think what he's doing is wrong. Then there's Qrow and, hoooooo boy. That's gonna be fun to see. Jaune isn't going to have a good time. At least with Neo, they're not ignoring each other anymore, right? The dream was a continuation of the last dream sequence I had which was back in like... Chapter 13, or something. The dream where he fought the Beowolf to protect his sisters and mom. His dad had other reasons, the question is what were they?**

**Imperial Germany - Huh, the impact wasn't that bad. Just made Jaune open up to her a bit. I'd imagine that in this scenario, Neo would always be the dominant / aggressor when it comes to anything in the relationship they have.**

**Nobody of Nowhere - SilentKnight Fluff. Top shelf stuff, imo. Glad you're enjoying, friend. And I'll just take those internet cookies and add them to my pile.**

**Azrael Saint - And again, surprising that she didn't just destroy him. Only talked. Interesting.**

**X3 - Poor Ren. He was there at the start and just kinda slipped into the background. He'll make an appearance relatively soon. That wouldn't be a bad idea if Jaune could think of it on his own, and manage to get a meeting with the council without getting mangled and then sent off to Winter for 'interrogation'. And you're 100% right, if Yang ever figured it out, Qrow and Jaune both wouldn't ever hear the end of it and that'd just be amusing.**

**Gasenator - =)**

**And that's all my reviews from last chapter, I think.**

**Well, guys. Thanks for tuning in and for almost getting this story up to 500 Favs and 700 follows. I say it a lot, but y'all are amazing and I love having you come read my stuff.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, June 8th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Ugh, Monday. I hate Mondays. Regardless, here's another chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 23]

"Remember; just like last time. Keep your head down, and don't draw any attention. Let me handle the talking." Roman said, spinning his cane as he puffed on his cigar.

We had gotten a call from Cinder a few hours ago, requesting a meeting that we all attend. Of course, Roman said we'd all be there. It wasn't like we had much of a choice anyway. She phrased it like a request, but it was more of an order. Even I wasn't blind enough to not notice that.

I hummed, thumbing the flask on my hip. "Last time, I ended up with her in my face."

Roman shrugged. "True, but you didn't get incinerated on the spot, so I'm going to count that as a win in my book."

I shook my head. "Whatever you say, Roman."

He just grinned. "That's the spirit."

The three of us made our way through the old industrial sector of the city, finding the same factory we had been to last time was just the same. White Fang guards were about, and while they spared us a passing glance, they didn't do any more than that.

Roman led us up, and into that same office that we had met her in last time. The layout hadn't seemed to change any, nor had the positions that she and her lackies took.

Before we came, Roman had taken to telling me all he knew about Cinder's little minions. The girl with green hair was, fittingly, named Emerald. She was an agile fighter – quick and merciless. Her Semblance, as far as Roman could tell, was something that messed with her target's mind. Made them go insane, see things that weren't there, shoot their allies, that sort of deal.

The other one, was named Mercury Black. He is the son of the now deceased master assassin Marcus Black – one of the only humans in recorded history with a Semblance that allowed him to steal others from people. Mercury 's Semblance is an unknown, but considering who his father was, it's potentially the same thing. Mercury also is an agile fighter, focusing on kicks, thanks to his robotic legs.

Cinder smiled all too sweetly to put me in any sense of ease as I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Roman, good, you came when I called."

Roman just puffed on his cigar. "Eh, you just happened to call at a good time – not like I was busy plotting a heist on Vale's biggest bank, or anything."

She just hummed quietly. "I'm sure." She glanced back towards Neo and I who were flanking Roman in a rather similar way to how Emerald and Mercury were Cinder. "And I see you brought your helpers. Very good."

Roman shrugged. "Hey, if you get to bring your kids, I get to bring mine. That's just how this relationship works."

She hummed again, looking back to Roman. "Perhaps. On to business, shall we?"

He blew out a puff of smoke through his nose. "Was starting to wonder if this was just a social call."

"I will say, you did exceptionally well securing those Paladins. I had not expected you to bring so many. I'm impressed."

Roman grinned. "I'm the best in the business – these are the results you get because of that."

Cinder turned her attention to me then. "Unless I'm mistaken, it was your apprentice here who came up with the plan of attack on the train, no?"

"It was." Roman responded, rocking back on his heels.

She paused for a moment, producing her scroll and tapping away on it for a few minutes. "And, unless I'm mistaken, this would be you?" She asked, eyeing me now.

She turned the device around to show Roman, Neo, and I all a video clip of my fight with Winter. More specifically, the moment I had used my shield to stun and blind her briefly.

I swallowed. "That's correct."

She smiled her sickeningly sugary sweet smile that was far too unnatural to put any living being at ease. "That was very impressive, Jaune. That woman is a trained specialist – I can't imagine it was an easy fight."

I shook my head. "No, it wasn't. In truth, she had me beaten from the start. I only landed a few lucky and cheap shots on her. If it weren't for Roman, I'd be dead or captured."

"Where'd you get that anyway? I was under the impression we blew up the train, and all the evidence." Roman interjected, trying to take her attention off of me.

Cinder, however, wouldn't be deterred. She didn't even acknowledge Roman's question. "That may be true, but she has trained for years, if not the majority of her life. You, Jaune Arc, have no formal training. You have only just begun learning to fight and control you Aura. Yet, you went toe to toe with her for an extended time and are still alive. Quite the feat, wouldn't you say?"

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "Not really, no. It wasn't skill that saved me – a lot of it was luck, but also her arrogance. She was caught off guard multiple times because of my armor, my Aura reserves, and generally just my decision making."

She inclined her head. "Perhaps that is the case, but to your average person? It looks like you were holding your own against a much greater opponent quite handily. An inspiring story for those who might be in a similar situation."

Roman narrowed his eyes. "What's your point, Cinder?"

The woman in question clapped her hands together. "Why, I'm glad you asked. We will be unveiling the Paladins to the White Fang in the coming days at a recruitment rally. I would like to have Jaune here be the one to reveal it to them."

"Why? The kid's not a public speaker, or figure."

"Because, dear Roman, he's got a good story. One that would rally the White Fang behind him – a nobody, just like them, able to fight off an Atlas specialist on his own. They'll believe they can do the same."

Roman flicked the burnt-out cigar butt to the floor and crushed it under his boot. "You want him to inspire the White Fang? They're already fanatics – what more inspiration could they possibly need?"

Cinder hummed, rounding her attention back on Roman. "We will be beginning phase two of our operations once the Paladins have been unveiled."

Roman nodded, rolling his hand forward slightly. "And that means… what, exactly?"

"You, and your two companions here, will be traveling to Mountain Glenn. I will inform you more as to your objective there as the time grows closer." She responded, leaning back on the desk slightly, her hands supporting her weight.

Roman bit his lower lip. "Anything else?"

Cinder tilted her head for a moment as she thought. "Hm. The rally is in three days time. You'll be told more as time passes."

Roman nodded, turning on a heel. "Right, then assuming that's all, we'll be leaving."

Cinder waved a dismissive hand towards us, not bothering to respond.

We walked in silence for about fifteen minutes, making our way well out of the old industrial sector of Vale and into the city proper. It was well past two in the morning, and due to that there wasn't a single person to be seen wandering the streets openly other than us, and the occasional drunk who couldn't see straight, or form coherent thought.

_What's she planning? She had us steal mountains of Dust, and then Paladins. She wants me to be the one to unveil those Paladins, allegedly to inspire a swarm of anti-human fanatics. Sounds like a crock of shit to me._ I shook my head, thumbing the mostly empty flask on my hip. _Then there's Mountain Glenn. We're being sent there. Why?_

I paused a moment on that thought. _I don't even know much about Mountain Glenn, other than it's a failed settlement._ I glanced up at Roman who had, at some point during our walk, dug out a cigar for himself. "Roman?"

He glanced back at me and raised a brow. "Hm?"

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek. "Mountain Glenn. What happened there? I know it was a failed settlement spearheaded by Vale, but that's it."

Roman seemed to tense up at my question, even if it was only slightly, and barely noticeable. He didn't respond for a time, looking back forward as he thought. "Basically what it sounds like. Vale wanted to expand, and so they planned out Mountain Glenn. Sent an expeditionary force – settled the area and things went well for a while." He blew a puff of smoke out through his nose. "Then, things went to shit. Grimm broke in – it was chaos. We tried to hold them off and save the civilians, but it wasn't enough. Men, women, children. All were slaughtered mercilessly and without a second thought."

I narrowed my eyes, glancing towards Neo who only shrugged at me, offering a slight smile. I shook my head. "Alright… But why would Cinder send us there? We're thieves first and foremost – I doubt there's anything worth getting our hands on in a ruined city."

Roman nodded absently. "I'm wondering the same thing. Everything she's had us do up until now – stealing Dust, stealing the Paladins. It's all been up our alley, what I'm best at."

I nodded, chewing on the inside of my cheek still. _We're being sent to Mountain Glenn after I do some rousing speech or something for the White Fang. Get them riled up and ready to fight._ I frowned then. _I'm getting them excited. Hopeful and ready to fight, right after revealing to them massive new military tech from Atlas. Tech that's theirs to play with._

I pursed my lips, glancing down at the bandolier of grenades strapped to my chest. Dust grenades. _Dust. We've stolen mountains of Dust, and now battle mechs. It feels like we're outfitting a small army – an army of terrorists._ I could taste blood in my mouth, and quickly stopped chewing on my cheek. _But why send us to Mountain Glenn, then? What's her angle? If I'm right and we've just armed her terrorist army, what good does it do in Mountain Glenn?_

"It doesn't make sense. We've stolen enough Dust to supply a small army, and given them the Paladins to act as armored divisions to boot. Yet, we're being sent off to Mountain Glenn." I said out loud, still trying to figure my way through it.

Roman just shook his head, puffing on his cigar once again. "It's good that you're thinking, kid, but let it rest. Speculating won't do us any good if we can't act on it."

I hummed in response, nodding. "Right. Its just… Nothing about it connects. The White Fang, Mountain Glenn, the Dust, the Paladins – none of it seems to connect."

"Like I said, let it rest. You don't have to figure everything out all at once, or on your own." He said, offering another glance back at me.

"Right, sorry. I just don't like this. Working for her, not knowing what we're walking into."

"Nothing to be sorry for. I don't like it any more than you do, but spending your time stressing yourself like this won't do a damn thing for us until we know more." Roman said, spinning his cane idly.

I didn't respond, instead taking my flask from its spot on my hip and finishing off the last of the vodka that was in it. I spent a moment just looking at the simple metal container. _Makes me think of Qrow. Wonder if he'd be able to help?_ I shook my head at that thought, hooking the flask back on my hip. _He might be able to, but I don't know what he'd do. I don't know how much I can trust him. Even if he seems like he's on my side and my friend, there's no telling how far that extends._

I ran my fingers through my hair as I trailed behind Roman, letting him lead us towards the apartment we called home. One of many safe houses he had, if I had to guess. This was one that just hadn't been flipped on us yet.

I glanced around, noting that I was relatively close to Junior's. While it was late, I felt like a good few drinks before going to sleep. "You two go on ahead without me. I'm gonna go pay Junior a visit."

Roman waved his hand back at me absently. "Have fun, kid. Tell him I'll be around in the next couple days as well, yeah?"

I nodded. "Got it."

Neo turned to me and tilted her head slightly in question.

I shook my head. "Don't worry 'bout it. Just want a drink and a chat – haven't seen him since we got back."

She nodded, turning and chasing after Roman, likely in search of ice cream and then sleep.

Now alone, I turned and made my way towards the Club.

As I entered the Club, I was assaulted by bone rattling bass booming through the room, and lights strobing more than enough to blind someone not careful, though that didn't bother me. I wandered over to the bar and took a seat at one of the many empty stools, flagging down the barkeep.

It was a goon I'd never met, though that was to be expected. The Red Axe had grown massively since I helped them take down Baxton's crew. If what I knew was right, they had even been annexing other smaller gangs around, either through force or diplomacy.

I ordered my drinks, and told the barkeep to go tell Junior that I was here to chat. He didn't seem to trust that, though ultimately decided that it wasn't worth arguing or trying to start something with me.

I was left alone for a few minutes as the goon ran off to find his boss. I glanced back over the rather small crowd that was in the Club, flailing around drunkenly and without rhythm in what they probably thought were some pretty slick dance moves.

"The mastermind returns." The gruff voice of Junior commented as he set a glass of whiskey down in front of me. "Good to see you, Jaune."

I smiled, nodding towards him. "You too, Junior."

He hummed, wiping down an empty glass idly, looking busy so he'd be left alone by other patrons. "What's got you comin' around? Just here to get shit faced?"

I shook my head, tossing back about half the glass of whiskey in one. "That's part of it." Junior just chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'd like a favor."

He inclined his head. "Then shoot."

"Mountain Glenn. I know that it's a failed attempt by Vale to expand, but that's about it. I want to know everything you can tell me about it – who was in charge, old plans for the city, defense plans, any history about it. Everything you can find."

Junior frowned, setting the first glass aside, and filling my now drained glass again. "I'm sure you could find a lot of that with some minor digging on your own."

I nodded. "Right, but that's only what's been officially put out. I want _everything_. Everything you can get your hands on related to Mountain Glenn – I want it."

Junior pursed his lips. "Why the interest?"

I glanced around, seeing that nobody was close by, though that didn't mean anything particularly. "Call it curiosity."

The information broker narrowed his eyes. "Here, let's talk in my office."

I nodded, getting up and following Junior back to his office hidden away behind a few employee only doors.

I stole a glance in to a couple rooms and saw several goons counting stacks of Lien, and in another there was someone filing through a crate of Atlas assault rifles. _Junior's expanded his business to a lot more than just protection racketeering and information deals._

He led me into his office, taking a seat behind his desk and leaning back in his seat. "Now, why the interest in Mountain Glenn?"

I sighed, slipping into one of the two seats in front of his desk. "There's something going on, Junior. Roman and I – we're being sent there, and we don't know why."

Junior rose his brows at that. "Let me guess – it's an order from higher up?"

I nodded.

He just sighed and rubbed his temples. He reached down into his desk and produced two glasses and a half empty bottle of whiskey, pouring one for each of us. "You think that the answer as to why might be somewhere in the past? You think your there to steal something old and forgotten there?"

I frowned, and rather than pounding back this whiskey, I sipped at it. Junior always kept the best stuff for himself. "Maybe? Roman and I, we're thieves first and foremost. It feels like we're missing something. We're missing the reason to send us there at all."

Junior hummed, sipping at his whiskey as well. "You're hoping that with a little more information, you might be able to put it together."

I nodded. "That'd be about right, yeah."

He didn't respond for a time, looking down at his glass. "I'll do it, no problem."

"Be careful, Junior. That woman – she's well connected. She might catch wind of you digging around."

Junior just chuckled. "Don't worry about me, Jaune. I'm a professional." He paused for a moment more. "Anything else business related you need?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so." I paused for a brief moment. "Oh, Roman said he'd be swinging by in a couple days."

"Alright then." He smiled, raising his glass to me. "To a long life, and future success."

I smiled slightly and raised my glass in return. "Cheers, Junior."

[-/-]

The Crow Bar.

It was fitting, really, that Qrow would pick this as our meeting place. He'd taken me here once before on our drinking expeditions. I also seem to recall him getting us kicked out, somehow, but that was aside the point.

I was on edge – things didn't feel right. I wasn't sure if it was something to do with Qrow and this meeting, or the impending doom that Cinder inevitably had planned for Roman and I. It well could've been a mix of both.

I had elected to leave behind Crocea Mors and my grenades as well. That, likely, fed into my feeling of dread and concern, though I managed regardless. Why I thought coming mostly unarmed was a good idea, I couldn't really say. It was just a decision I made.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I made my way to the bar Qrow had called me to. My thoughts were elsewhere, though. Primarily on Cinder, and the mystery that was Mountain Glenn, the Dust, and the Paladins. All pieces of the same puzzle – just ones that didn't fit together.

I pushed through the door into the Crow Bar, and I swear my heart stopped for a few seconds.

There were two people – both of whom I recognized.

The first was Qrow, looking as he always has – long shaggy graying black hair, and somewhat disheveled as he pounded back a shot like it was water.

The second was the one that kicked my fight or flight instinct in.

Sitting across from the older Huntsman was the familiar visage of Atlas Specialist Winter Schnee. She looked just the same as she had when I fought her – regal, armed, and extremely dangerous. The only difference now was that she had a plain white eye patch covering her right eye, courtesy of me, apparently.

She had looked up from Qrow when the bell on the door announced someone new walking in, focusing her gaze on me. She seemed to take a minute to simply study me – how I stood, if I was armed. In short, if I was a threat.

Qrow took note that she was no longer paying him any attention and glanced back, noting me in an instant. He grinned and waved me over. "Jaune! Good, you showed up."

I did my best to bite back the nervousness. _She doesn't recognize me. I don't have the sword, no grenades, and I'm not wearing the mask. She doesn't know who I am._ I thought as I made my way to the booth, sliding in to the seat next to Qrow. "I said I would, didn't I?"

Qrow nodded, flagging down the barkeep. "That you did, but still. Good to see you came – I know you're probably still tired after your trip out of Vale."

I clenched my jaw at that. _So, he knows I left Vale. The question is: does he know where I went? I'm going to gamble and say yes._ "Yeah, I'm still beat, but a drink to relax sounded nice."

My reaction didn't go unnoticed by Winter, as she narrowed her eye at me and a small frown came over her lips, though she didn't say anything.

The barkeep wandered over, inclining his head towards Qrow who ordered another full round of drinks for the table – even though Winter had barely touched hers, and he was only about half way done with his.

After the barkeep left, Qrow turned his attention back to me. "So, how'd that go, anyway? What happened, even?"

Winter coughed politely, getting Qrow's attention before I could respond. "Ah, right, yeah. Jaune, this is my lady friend, Winter Schnee. She's blown in from the frozen world of Atlas, and with the ice queen personality to boot." Qrow grinned a bit. "Fitting that her name's Winter, no?"

Qrow flinched slightly, and Winter smirked in victory. I could only assume she kicked him under the table. She turned her attention to me. "A pleasure, Jaune." She said, extending a hand to me, her lips curled into a smile that didn't look completely natural to me.

Reluctantly, I extended a hand in return. _Just play it cool, Jaune._ "Hm, doubtful. Pretty sure the pleasure belongs to me. Not every day you meet a gorgeous woman." _…Is this really playing it cool? Flirting? Seriously?_

Her smile changed slightly, one that looked more natural. Her grip was strong, almost like she was testing my own strength in the process. I elected to let her win that battle without much fight. Look weaker than you are – make her underestimate me.

Qrow elbowed me in the side roughly, grumbling under his breath about blond-haired, blue-eyed bastards.

Winter released my hand, flitting her gaze back to Qrow. "I see _someone_ here knows how to greet a woman." She said, her lips curled into a slight smirk still.

Qrow leveled a glare at me for a moment before turning back to her. "Oh please, you loved my greeting, and you know it."

Winter just rolled her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that, and see where it gets you." She turned her attention back to me, taking a moment to size me up again. "So, Jaune, how'd you come to know this crusty old drunk?"

Qrow coughed, though didn't interject. I shrugged my shoulders. "By chance, really. Just sorta stumbled into him at a bar, and started talking. Been a drinking buddy ever since."

She inclined her head slightly. "Hm. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem a bit young to be drinking, and carrying around a flask."

I shrugged my shoulder, taking the mug of beer that was being offered to me from the barkeep. "Depends on how you look at it." I glanced around. "Nobody seems to care that I drink, so I don't say anything. It's a nice way to pass time and take the edge off after a long day."

Winter took another sip from her first round, hardly making a dent in it. She watched as Qrow finished his, and then stole her second. "A long day. What is it you do?"

I made to respond, though Qrow cut in before I could. "He's an informant for me."

And for the second time tonight, my heart stopped. _He's going to get me killed, or arrested. Maybe both, just not in that order. Or maybe in that order if Winter has any say._

Winter tilted her head slightly, looking back to me. "Is that so? Interesting. Explains your relationship, then."

Qrow nodded. "Kid's good at what he does – gives me leads I'd otherwise never have been able to find."

I felt like I was sweating bullets under Winter's gaze, unable to do anything as Qrow just dug my grave deeper. _So, this is how I die. At the hands of a spiteful woman, and one who isn't Neo. Who would've thought?_

Qrow hummed. "And even with the intel, and the word being sent out to Atlas, you failed to stop Roman and his crew. The great Atlas Specialists, defeated by a band of crooks." He said, a cocky grin on his lips.

I was now most definitely sweating bullets. _So, he knew. How? Did I have a bug planted on me? Was he watching? Did I let something slip?_

Winter growled lowly. "They were more than a mere band of crooks, Qrow. They had training. Not enough to best me in combat, but enough to stall for time until backup arrived."

Qrow just chuckled leaning back in the booth and taking a long drink from his mug. "I dunno, Ice Queen. That guy landed a solid blow on you – took out an eye, _and_ killed one of your specialists in close quarters combat. Sounds like you were roundly beat to me."

She growled again. "I'd like to have a round two. I won't under estimate him again." She paused, turning her attention to me. She narrowed her eye. "Jaune, would you happen to know who these people are?" She asked, sliding her scroll across the table towards me.

It was a blurry photo of me, retreating with Winston and Jess after incapacitating Winter briefly. I frowned and shook my head. "Hard to say, all I've got is a blurry photo."

She took her scroll back and handed it to me again. This time, there was a rough computerized image of my mask – The Virtuoso, staring back at me. "How about that. You know who wears it?"

_I do._ I shook my head. "Nope. As far as I knew, their MO didn't involve hiding their identities." I said, handing her scroll back.

I spared a glance to Qrow who was keeping himself composed, his cocky smirk on his lips still, though he didn't show any signs that he knew that was my mask.

"Still, Ice Queen. You got beat by a thug there to rob a train. Funny how the Specialists lost to Vale's underground." He taunted, finishing off Winter's second beer and moving on to his.

Winter just glared at him. "Drop it, Qrow." The man flinched again, and I had a feeling she kicked him. "If you can figure out who that belongs to, drop Qrow a line for me. I'd like to have a rematch." She said to me.

I nodded nervously. _She doesn't know._ "Right, will do."

_Not in a million years. I got lucky the first time; I doubt I'd get that lucky come round two._

Winter's scroll buzzed, and she answered without hesitation. "Specialist Schnee."

After a brief exchange, she nodded. "Right away, General." She said, ending the call, turning her attention back to Qrow and I. "Gentlemen. I've places to be. Good night." She took her mug of beer and finished the rest in quick order, enough to even get Qrow to nod appreciatively.

"G'night, Ice Queen." Qrow called.

"Night, Winter." I said.

Winter didn't respond and strode out of the bar quickly thereafter.

Qrow turned his attention to me. "So, Specialist Winter Schnee. Thoughts?" He asked with a knowing smile.

I glared at him. "You."

"Me?"

I sighed and shook my head. "You sent her after us, didn't you?"

Qrow just smirked and finished the rest of his beer. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

I shook my head and flagged down the barkeep, ordering myself several shots of vodka. I turned my attention back to Qrow. "How'd you know?"

Qrow ordered himself a line of shots as well before answering my question. "You never know who's watching, brat. Especially in your line of work."

I narrowed my eyes. "So, you overheard. Why only alert Winter?"

Qrow hummed. "I didn't hear anything. Easy to guess what's happening when you purchase winter clothes. Not like you'd need 'em in Vacuo, Vale, or Mistral at this time of year."

I frowned and pursed my lips. "How'd you know where we'd be?"

He shook his head. "I didn't. Knew something was happening – not what, or where. Just a matter of telling my contact in Atlas, and they handled the rest."

Our drinks came, and I rather quickly tossed back my first shot of vodka, finding the burning sensation comforting as it slid down my throat. "You knew I was involved, yet sent Winter after us anyway, even after you helped me. Why?"

Qrow didn't respond for a moment, tossing his shot back. "Oversight."

"Bull. You're not that careless."

Qrow raised his brows. "Really? An old drunk like me? You sure I'm not careless?"

I nodded. "You wouldn't be alive still if you were careless."

He nodded in return. "Not completely blind." He paused, tossing back another shot. "A test. Curiosity."

I tossed back another shot and sighed. "You wanted to see how well I held my own."

"Something like that. Now, tell me. Are you the one who took her eye out?" He asked with mild curiosity.

"And if I was?"

He grinned. "Well done, brat. Well done indeed. Not just anyone can land a hit like that."

"I wouldn't call it skill – I'd call it luck." I commented.

"Luck is a skill of its own – one that turns unwinnable fights to winnable ones." He fired back.

I shrugged. "Whatever you say, man."

Qrow nodded, tossing back another shot like it was made of water.

I frowned, mirroring his actions. "Qrow? Why do you help me? We're on opposite sides, yet you've been helping me along. Why?"

Qrow hummed. "Because I want to. Because I can. Because you're an interesting case, Jaune. One that I'm interested in seeing the progression of."

I sighed and leaned back in the booth. "That feels like a non-answer."

He shrugged. "Deal with it – it's the only one I'm giving."

I wanted to argue, to dig deeper, but I knew I'd just get shut down before I even started. "You always say you never know who's watching. I'll take it that means there's more than just you following my case?"

"You're stupid if you think I'm the only one watching you." He commented, knocking back another shot, already over half way done with his drinks.

I thought for a moment. "Alright, lets try this then. Should I be wary of the others watching me?"

Qrow looked up at me and tilted his head slightly. "Depends on how long you want to remain free."

I bit on the inside of my cheek, knocking back my last shot, and sighing. "Right. Trust no one, and watch your own back."

"Sounds like paranoia to me." He commented.

I shook my head, slipping out of the booth. "It's only paranoia if I'm wrong."

He shrugged. "Fair point."

"Thanks for the drinks, Qrow."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You son of a…"

I grinned. "And thanks for grabbing the bill this time. Really appreciate it." I said, turning and wandering out of the bar.

Behind me, I heard Qrow grumble about us blond-haired blue-eyed bastards yet again, only making me chuckle as I left the bar to make my way back to the apartment so I could catch up on some much-needed sleep.

As I walked, Qrow's words rattled around in my head. _"You never know who's watching." "Luck is a skill of its own." "You're an interesting case, Jaune."_ I shook my head, hands in my pockets. _He's not the only one watching me – he basically told me as much. The question now is who? I wouldn't be surprised if Cinder is on that list along with Qrow, but who else? Who else would have an interest in me – an apprentice to Vale's greatest thief, and a disgraced Arc?_

I bit down on my lower lip. _There must be other powers at play, then. More than just Cinder, and Qrow. Maybe Atlas? But if they were watching me, Winter would've known. She'd have taken me down the instant she saw me… I doubt it's Junior – anything he'd want to know, I'm more than willing to tell. Maybe another crime family? Then the question becomes which one? And why?_

I shook my head, glancing around me. _No, I don't think that's the case either. Think, Jaune. Who else would have an interest in you?_ I narrowed my eyes. _My family? Its possible, but if it'd be anyone, it'd be dad. He wouldn't bother skulking about in the shadows – he'd rather come at me head on. Maybe the Council of Vale? But how… My name isn't on the most wanted list – hell, it's not even on the wanted list period thanks to Qrow. Even then, what would they want with me? I'm comparatively insignificant to them._

I unhooked my flask and took a long drink. _I'm missing something, or rather, someone. Someone interested in me, and my progression. But who, damnit? Its more than likely someone I don't know, but then the question is why? What do they want with me, and why leave me to my own devices?_ I groaned and hooked my flask back on my hip, shuffling back to the apartment. I wasn't getting any answers by thinking about it. Without all the details, it was useless.

I made my way back to the apartment, opening the door to find Roman sat in his recliner, hat pulled down over his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. Part of me thought to wake him so he could go get sleep in his bed rather than the recliner, though I thought better of it. No need to wake him at all.

Instead, I sighed, locking the door behind me as I made towards my room.

I flicked the lights on, revealing that Neo was already out cold herself, curled up on the sheets and hugging onto a pillow. I couldn't help but to smile at that. _She keeps the cool and terrifying look on the outside, though she's just like every other girl beneath that. Damned adorable, and rather affectionate._

I shook my head, closing the door quietly. I went about stripping off that day's clothes, haphazardly tossing the clothes off into the corner of my room – the corner that was home to most of the dirty clothes pile.

Next came the chain mail and daggers that I carried with me – both of which were stowed with a bit more care than the clothes. It's one thing for me to just toss the clothes, its another completely to do the same to my armor and weapons.

I changed into the simple tee shirt I wear to bed and flicked off the lights again, making my way to bed. "Scoot over." I said quietly to Neo.

The girl shifted a bit, releasing the pillow and sitting up. I could only just barely see her silhouette in the dark. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." I said, taking the pillow she was hugging and tossing it back up to the top of the bed.

She just shook her head, scooting over to make room for me. "Still, I feel bad waking you up." I said as I laid down beneath the covers. Neo was quick to join me, laying her head on my shoulder and nestling herself into my side.

I hummed quietly, wrapping one arm around her, letting that hand rest on her hip. "You know, part of me wonders how this all happened?" She didn't respond in any way, just letting her hand gently trail over my chest. "I mean, hell, it wasn't too long ago that I was a nobody. I had no skills, no friends, no nothing. And then, in such a short span of time, everything changed."

I found myself just idly tracing patterns on her side, not paying it any mind. "Now, I'm here. Caught up in this mess of shit, feeling in so deep over my head that I don't remember what it felt like to not be suffocating." I barked out a quiet, mirthless, laugh. "On one hand, I've got Cinder, her plan for us – making us steal Dust, the Paladins, and now sending us to Mountain Glenn, after having made me rile up the White Fang. I know she's planning something; I just don't know what. I don't have the right pieces to figure it out."

Neo nuzzled into me more, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing slightly. "I know. I've got you, Roman, Junior, and all the others, but still. There's just… So much. I have so many questions, and every answer only seems to spawn more questions – it feels never ending."

I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "Then there's more – the shit with Qrow. He's…" I paused a moment, thinking. "He's a good guy. He's watching out for me, even when he doesn't have to. I know he has his own motivations and reasons for doing it, and I'll be damned if I know what they are, but he's not free of problems either." I found myself gently squeezing her hip, for no reason in particular. "He's got me worried – always tells me that I don't know who's watching me, and he's right. I don't have a damn clue. I don't know who else might be watching, or why. And whoever is, why are they only watching? Why aren't they doing something?" I groaned, letting out a sigh. "It's just… Fuck, I don't know. I'm paranoid – watching over my shoulder for a specter that might not even be there."

Neo lifted herself up, coming to straddle my waist, her hands resting on my shoulders. Before I had a chance to say anything, she leaned down and pressed a kiss against my lips, shutting me up pretty well.

The kiss lasted for what easily could've been a minute or two, or even more. I wasn't paying attention. She broke away and came to be sitting back up, hands still on my shoulders. Her eyes, both pink, seemed to glow ever so slightly in the dark, though that just as easily could've been my imagination.

I sighed, closing my eyes and letting myself relax as much as I could with Neo straddling me. "I know. I'm worrying too much – I just… I guess I'm afraid. Afraid of losing everything, the only home I have, the only family who supported me, all my friends. I earned it, I fought for it, and the thought that it could all go to hell because of someone else's scheming… It scares me."

Neo laid back down, completely resting on my chest for the moment. She nuzzled into my cheek, pressing a gentle kiss there before sliding off of me, resting her head back on my shoulder. She wrapped her arms around me again, throwing one leg across both of mine as she often did. I smiled slightly and squeezed her tightly, which she returned.

One of her hands found mine, clasping onto it and interlacing our fingers. I sighed and relaxed more completely now. She nuzzled herself into my neck, and after a brief moment, she was out cold as her breathing regulated itself to a slow, steady rhythm.

Even without being able to speak, Neo had found a way to calm me down, to put me at ease, despite the fear and worry that threatened to suffocate me. It was welcome, and something I desperately needed.

I smiled slightly to myself and felt as the tendrils of sleep slowly enraptured me just as they had Neo.

Everything wasn't okay, everything wouldn't be okay; not any time soon, at least.

But for now?

I was perfectly content.

* * *

**And that's that. Another chapter down.**

**You know, it's amazing, really. Sleep is a wonderful thing - especially for a writer. It takes my ability to write a coherent scene from minimal, to actually half decent. Note to self: No more writing after ~36 hours of uninterrupted consciousness. Not conducive to good writing ability.**

**That said, on we charge to the reviews. Forward!**

**A Random Friend - Glad you're enjoying, friend. While Jaune isn't my favorite character, he's the easiest to write with. He's basically a blank slate - a lot like Generic Protagonist-kun from name almost any isekai anime. The difference is, when writing, rather than projecting myself, or the reader doing the same, I get to change his personality and who he is into what I want.**

**typhonyx - Glad you're enjoying, too. It's wishful thinking that Jaune will win on his own, especially if he keeps fighting the likes of Winter, and people at her skill level. But if he fights, say, Beacon students? Who knows - he might stand a chance. Oh, boy. So, here's the thing about my writing. I have an outline, and it's got basic story points in it, stuff I want to happen and all, but I'll be damned if this story hasn't just taken over and done it's own thing. In my outline, the story was supposed to be around 30-35 chapters. Now, though? I'm going to guess and say maybe 40+ chapters total. Just depends, considering that some things I predicted would be one chapter turned into three. But, yes. This story does have it's ending planned out. Will it go the exact way I planned it? Probably not. Lots of stuff has changed since then, but the general idea of what's going to happen is there.**

**Engineer - Jaune is lucky that Ruby's really sweet, yeah. Even though she wanted to just scream at him, she couldn't bring herself to do it. But now Ruby knows why he did what he did, and that's big. It saddens her that he chose this way of life, but she's just kinda lost as to how to help him, and it hurts her. Jaune vanishing for weeks at a time again, once she can forgive. Twice? Jaune's gonna be pushing his luck. Hard. And, well, here's our Jaune and Qrow. And Winter. Surprise...? I swear, Murphy. If you break Jaune's Dust grenades when he needs them, I'm gonna... I don't know what I'll do, but I'll do something.**

**X3 - Ruby really just wants Jaune to be okay, and safe, and happy. Ultimately, I feel like that's her goal, to just see her friends happy and safe. At least in this fic. God forbid Tai or Yang realize who Jaune actually is - that would be badness in every way. Oh god, it does sorta kinda sound like Qrow asked him out. Oh no. And Jaune is starting to plan - or at least he's starting to realize something's wrong, and that he's gonna need to do something.**

**Red Shirt - Glad you're enjoying, friend. You're right, actually. Little Red does sound a bit off... I have nothing to blame, except maybe the 36 hours without sleep... Yeah, let's go with that...**

**Bioshock RWBY Fan - I have no plans to stop this story any time soon. Well, there is my vacation coming up, but that's only a brief stop. Again, gonna say if you haven't read **_A Common Criminal, or Something_** by College Fool, I 200% recommend it. It's the story that inspired me to write this one. Is Jaune an Anti-Hero, or Anti-Villan? Hmm. Interesting question, and I'm going to, hesitantly mind you, say Anti-Hero.**

**Dino Guy - *Cough cough* Well... he got a lot of attention? And some things have changed, and oh dear. Jaune's sorta starting to crack under the pressure. Not good. Well, here's more Jaune and Qrow being one of the best interacting duos, because they're awesome.**

**Gasenator - Winter is here.**

**James Asmodeus - Who are the two dead students, indeed. Maybe it is the obvious answer - maybe not. Jaune never saw the bodies. We may never know. Well, we'll know eventually. Just not right now.**

**Azrael Saint - Who else would it have been, really? Just gotta scare the shit outta Jaune, really. It may be Sun and Blake dead, it may not be. We don't know. Rather, you don't know. I do.**

**D.N. Works - Who died indeed? I never said, and did that on purpose. Though, you have to remember, Ruby isn't at Beacon. She's still in Signal, and therefore hasn't met Blake or Weiss, so take that into account, too.**

**Imperial Germany - Ayyy, thanks, chief. That's great to hear that you like it that much. Hope it continues to please.**

**Greer - Glad you liked it. While I thought Ruby definitely wanted to scream and shout, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.**

**Devil May Cry - You, my friend, are 100% right. That wasn't my intention, but that's what it was. I, again, blame my decision making on my writing while mostly asleep. Glad you're enjoying otherwise.**

**N-Lorin - Qrow knows, and sent Winter after him. I'd say on a scale from perfectly fine, to the world is ending, Jaune is looking at about... the Pre-Apocalypse. He knows it's coming, but can't do anything other than brace and hope its enough.**

**And done with reviews, awesome.**

**Just as a reminder, I am leaving this up coming Saturday, the 13th, and I won't be back until the 20th. Because of that, I will not be posting on either that Monday or Friday, as I won't have access to my PC at that time.**

**Other than that, next time we get to see Jaune at the rally, and what happens there. It's gonna be grand, really. All kinds of fun things to show up that you'll all just _love_.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, July 12th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank god, its Friday.**

**Here's another chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 24]

"Oh, come on. Is that the best you got?" Roman taunted me, spinning his cane in hand as he grinned, breathing heavily about twenty feet away.

I, too, was panting heavily, sweat pouring down my face. "Not even remotely." I responded, pulling the pin on one of my Dust grenades, one that I was pretty sure was supposed to be gravity. _If I'm right, this'll slow him down enough for me to land a few solid hits – maybe even knock him to the ground._

I sent the grenade flying, leveling off Crocea Mors as I shifted it into its rifle form. I had learned from use of some of my previous grenades, that if I don't get his attention, he'll rather easily manage to shoot the grenade midflight, rendering it generally useless. I fired off several rounds, forcing Roman to dodge off to one side to avoid the impacts.

The grenade crashed down onto the concrete a few feet from him, and exploded. I had been expecting a gravity-based explosion, but instead I was greeted with an avalanche of ice flooding out, wrapping around Roman's ankles to lock him in place momentarily.

_Well, not what I was expecting, but it does the same job._ I thought as I started shifting Crocea Mors back into a sword and shield and rushed at Roman. _It won't be done shifting before I get there._ In that split second, I dropped the weapon, letting it clatter against the concrete uselessly as it shifted into its natural state. Instead, I drew the two daggers from their sheathes and crashed into Roman.

The impact sent both he and I crashing down into the concrete, though I knew better than to think the fight was over yet.

Roman was quick, noting that he was below me, and brought his knee up into my crotch, getting a grunt of pain from me as I took the blow in stride. I brought one of the knives around and made to stab at his shoulder, though found him gripping my wrist to stop the blow. _I know I flat out lose in a battle of strength, so let's change that a bit._

With the other knife, I brought it around and landed a solid stab into Roman's side, though he didn't show much outward reaction other than a flinch and gritting his teeth. He hocked up a wad of spit and sent the liquid into my eyes, blinding me momentarily.

In that time, he threw me from him pretty handily, sending me skidding back over the small layer of ice that covered the outdoor courtyard we were fighting in.

I huffed and wiped the liquid from my eyes, looking up just in time to see the master criminal rushing at me, looking like he was going to use the hooked end of his cane to hit my head like a golf ball.

I bit on the inside of my cheek, and rather than dodge off to the side, I lunged forward at his legs. That caught him off guard, and he tried to redirect himself to avoid the haphazard attack. What he hadn't accounted for was that we were still on a thin sheet of ice.

Roman lost his footing and slipped, crashing down onto his backside.

I scrambled myself, struggling to find my footing on the slick ice as I closed the distance between the two of us. He wasn't keen on letting me close that distance easily, leveling his cane at me and firing off the last two rounds that he had loaded in it.

One shot wide, sailing over my head and crashing into the warehouse wall behind us. The second, though, impacted me square in the chest, sending me skidding back over the ice, and off onto the concrete.

I groaned and started to pick myself up, gritting my teeth as I trained my gaze on Roman.

Rather, where he was last.

The master criminal had vanished from view. _Shit, okay, this is bad. He's going to have the drop on me whenever he chooses._ I let my gaze shift to Crocea Mors lying inert and ready to be used not but ten feet away. _It'd give me more of a fighting chance than these daggers do, but I get the feeling he knows that. He wants me to go for it so he can strike while my guard is down._

I bit down on my lower lip and thought as I eyed the weapon still. I glanced down at my bandolier of grenades. In the battle so far, I'd used one ice, both the fire grenades, and one of the lightning. _I need a distraction. A smoke screen, something to flush him out or get his attention._ The easiest answer would've been to use a fire dust grenade to send something up in smoke, giving me cover to recover Crocea Mors, but that wasn't an option.

I took a moment to survey the battlefield – there was still that sheet of ice, and while when I got Roman to chase me to this location, I had some clever traps set, he managed to avoid or escape them with ease after triggering them. There was still plenty of cover – the only issue was not anywhere near where I needed to be.

I heard something shift off to my right, and dove to the left, ducking down behind a collection of metal barrels that I prayed weren't explosive. _Think, Jaune. There's only a platform of ice out there, as well as a load of cover. What can you do with that?_ I narrowed my eyes, glancing back over the cover I had.

I ducked back as I saw a flash of white rush past across the courtyard from me. I glanced back down at my bandolier of grenades. They had all since been painted a uniform black, so I couldn't tell you which was which. Granted, my opponent couldn't either, but that didn't help me if I was just as lost. _Maybe, if I can get the lightning grenade and hit it on the platform of ice, it might go up in smoke? Lightning's blazing hot, so it might work?_

I didn't have much of an option, and I was sure that I'd be running out of time pretty quickly here. I grabbed one of the grenades, holding it carefully in one hand as I sheathed my two daggers behind me once again. _Well, here goes. Long shot, don't fail me now._ I pulled the pin and tossed it back over the cover at the ice platform.

I heard the explosion, and without looking to see what grenade I'd thrown, I vaulted over the cover I had, diving forward towards Crocea Mors.

I had gotten lucky, throwing the lightning grenade. I was right, as well. While it wasn't as effective as I'd hoped, it still created a small smokescreen of sorts for me to work with.

I got my hand on Crocea Mors, pulling myself up and scrambling away from the scene and into the small smoke screen.

Behind me, I heard the rush of Roman's footsteps running at me. I ripped the sword from its sheath and spun, just barely managing to catch Roman's cane before it made impact with my back.

Roman threw me back with ease, though I didn't go far. Using the small distance he had created between us, I deployed my shield and charged him.

He caught my sword with the hook of his cane, stepping in closer to my guard. He delivered a solid sucker punch straight to my jaw. I growled lowly, and brought my shield around for a hit on him, similar to what I had done to Winter.

Roman, however, surprised me. He dropped his cane, and with expert speed, slipped behind me. My sword came slashing down through empty air with far more force than was needed considering the counter to that force was gone. My shield, too, hit nothing but air. Before I knew what had really happened, I felt the cool edge of two knives press to my throat.

"You're getting better, kid. A lot better." Roman commented from behind me, his breathing heavy. "Though you've still got a long way to go."

I knew I'd been beat, fair and square. It would be a gamble to see if my Aura would hold long enough for me to flip on Roman and send him down to the ground to win the fight. I wasn't willing to bet on it. I dropped my sword and relaxed. "Getting better, but still lose every time." I commented, barely able to get oxygen in my lungs it felt like.

Roman relaxed, pulling the blades away from my neck. "Think about who you're fighting, kid. I'm a professional. Huntsman trained, been living on this side of the tracks since before you were born. You're seventeen, and have been training for only about seven months, give or take." He grinned and held out my own two knives to me. "It's pretty damn impressive that you're able to hit me at all, let alone get some solid hits in like that."

I shook my head, taking the two knives back and sheathing them once again where they belonged. "I'd call it more luck than anything."

"Don't sell yourself short, Jaune. You pulled a few good tricks on me – things I wasn't expecting you to do." He commented, reloading his cane with bullets that he seemed to produce from nowhere.

I shrugged. "Still, calling that luck more than skill. I know you're a better combatant than I am, and will be for quite some time. Only way I'll stand a chance of winning is either drawing the fight out, letting you exhaust yourself and your Aura before mine, or getting lucky with some cheap shots."

He nodded, leaning on his cane now that it'd been reloaded. "And that's skill, right there. You know you're outclassed, so you assessed your opponent's win conditions, and your own. You decided which was more likely considering what you know, and made steps towards it." He paused for a moment. "Let me ask this – why didn't you try to just draw the fight out?"

I frowned. "Well, at first I was planning on it. My Aura reserves are larger than yours, I knew the layout of this battlefield, and had some traps set for you before we even started. You'd do massive chunks of damage to my Aura with each blow, so I set the traps, planning that those'd even out the field a bit." I paused for a moment, chewing on the inside of my cheek. "Things were working for a while, and while you beat me in strength, speed, stealth and basically everything else, I probably could out last you. It was my best win condition."

Roman inclined his head slightly, smiling a bit. "And what changed?"

I hesitated for a moment. "You pressed your ability to hide away – you leveraged your speed and ability to stay out of sight. I had no way of knowing where you were." I narrowed my eyes as I continued to think. "I knew that if I tried to just wait it out, you'd get the drop on me and nullify any Aura advantage I had, eliminating that win condition completely."

"So, because of that, I needed my primary weapons again. I'm not the best knife fighter, so trying that head on would've been a disaster. My sword and shield gave me more options, more defense and skill. Even if the gap between us is massive, the change from daggers to sword and shield would help." I blew out a breath, finding that my breathing was finally steadying again. "I didn't have an option, in the end. You forced me to change my win condition by pressing your advantage in both speed, and the first hit in whatever fight we started."

Roman nodded, his own breathing level. The only sign of him being tired was the sweat that still glistened on his face. "Right there. All that – the combat analysis? You did all that, and more while in the heat of battle. I'm not able to do that – not to that degree. I can see your weaknesses, and my strengths and act accordingly, but that's about as far as it goes." He paused a moment, producing his lighter and a cigar. "You've got the mind of a tactician, Jaune. There's no luck in that – it's all skill. Skill that you've got."

I frowned, rocking back on my heels slightly. "Hm. Maybe."

He rolled his eyes. "Quit selling yourself short, damnit." He said, taking a puff off his cigar. "C'mon, let's get moving."

I nodded, picking up Crocea Mors and sheathing the blade once again, strapping it back to my hip. I glanced down, noting that I'd used a load of grenades. They all seemed to do their jobs well enough, though I'd yet to see the gravity grenade in action. I assumed it would just increase the gravity in the radius of the explosion, but I didn't know.

My scroll buzzed in my pocket, and once I had dug it out, I found a message from Junior.

_Junior: I've got what you asked for. Come pick it up when you've got time._

_Jaune: Right. I'm going to head back, get a shower, and then I'll be there, probably with Roman joining me._

_Junior: Works for me._

I hummed, pocketing my scroll once again. Part of me found it interesting that, even as a wanted criminal working closely with some of Vale's most wanted, we still just texted and called one another, connected through the CCT. Granted, Roman got a new scroll just about every day, but for the likes of Neo, Junior, and myself? We never really changed numbers. I suspected a lot of that had to do with how high Roman was on that wanted list in comparison to us.

Hell, I doubted that Junior was even on the wanted list. He very rarely did anything that could incriminate him personally, even running one of Vale's larger criminal gangs. As far as the VPD were concerned, he was probably an upstanding citizen who ran a _very_ lucrative night club.

Roman and I walked back to the apartment in comfortable silence. _That was something that used to bother me – long silences, especially when with other people. They always made me nervous, made me feel like I was being scrutinized and thought worse of because I just let conversation die. Now, it's just… I don't know, it doesn't bother me as much. It might be more social awareness than I used to have, or maybe I just wasn't ever comfortable enough with myself or the people around me to trust the silence._

I shrugged, shaking my head as I took a long drink from my flask. I paused a moment, simply studying the simple metal container. It was completely nondescript. Plain, stainless steel with no real identifying marks on it. _Maybe I should see about getting it engraved – something to make it my own, more, well, me, I guess._

I let my thoughts wander back to the spar Roman and I just had. _Things went relatively well, all things considered. The biggest issue was me not knowing which of my grenades was which. But how do I get around that?_ I frowned as I thought on the problem for a moment. _The easiest way is to just not paint them at all, but that's obvious. Tells my opponents what they should expect._ I narrowed my eyes. _Maybe I could paint the lever the same color as the Dust it contains. Seeing as it comes off midflight, most opponents wouldn't be able to notice and react accordingly. Also lets me know what I'm throwing._

I nodded to myself as Roman led us into the apartment. He glanced back "I'm grabbing the first shower." He called out, making his way back into his room for a change of clothes.

I shrugged, wandering into the kitchen in search of more booze. _Hah. If my mom saw me now; living with Vale's most wanted, stealing military tech, and day drinking on top of it. God, I can practically hear the shouting that'd come from that._

I shook my head, a slightly bemused smile on my lips as I went and sat down on the couch in the living room. In hand I had the bottle of vodka I had been using the fill my flask, topping off the metal container before electing to drink straight from the bottle.

I sighed, closing my eyes as I leaned back into the soft cushions. It was only now that I realized how sore I actually was. Say what you will about Roman, but he's no slouch when it comes to fighting. None of my friends are, really. Not even Junior who himself attests to the fact that he avoids combat most of the time.

I blew out a long breath through my nose, taking another drink from the bottle in hand. _It's been months, well over half a year actually, since I last saw my family. I've got to wonder how they're holding up. Probably not well – mom is more than likely keeping a brave face, though is absolutely terrified. Dad, well… He's probably the same as ever. Absent, throwing himself into his work constantly. My sisters. God, my sisters. If they knew where I was, they'd probably gather up and drag me back, Roman, Neo, Junior, Qrow. All of them be damned, they'd drag me back and kill me themselves._

I opened my eyes, noting that Neo had finally decided to crawl out of bed, not that I could blame her. It's been a long couple nights. She was still dressed in her sleepwear, which is to say just one of my tee shirts that I'd never get back.

She yawned cutely, stretching her arms up over her head before trundling over and plopping herself onto the couch with me, using my lap as her pillow.

I nudged her slightly. "If you're just gonna go back to sleep, go to bed again. I'm not here for long."

She huffed, though made no sign of moving from her spot.

I sighed, glancing back at the end of the hall. Roman had emerged from his shower, freshly dressed. He had his scroll in hand, and snapped a quick picture. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh, ignore me. Pretend like I'm not even here." He commented, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

I shook my head, taking another swig from the bottle. "Yeah, yeah." I said, setting the bottle down on the table in front of me. I looked back down to Neo who looked like she was about halfway to going back to sleep. "Sorry, Neo. You're gonna have to let me up – I need a shower."

She huffed again, though sat up, pouting at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, you've been asleep basically all day. I didn't come back just for you to use me as a space heater."

She grinned devilishly and waggled her eyebrows.

I shook my head. "No, Neo."

She stuck her tongue out at me as I got up to my feet.

"Like I said, no. I've got to go have a chat with Junior." I commented.

She shrugged and let me walk away in peace.

I sighed, wandering back into my room for a change of clothes so I could go take a shower.

I emerged from the bathroom about fifteen minutes later, feeling plenty refreshed and, thankfully, not sticky anymore. A warm shower was always nice after training – helped to relax my muscles that got either tensed up to hell, or just hurt after a load of use and abuse.

Roman was waiting for me, sitting in his recliner as per usual. Neo hadn't changed, though she was sitting on the couch with a tub of ice cream in her lap as she watched whatever awful sitcom caught her eye.

"Alright, you ready, Roman?" I asked, getting the master thief to nod as he pulled himself out of his seat. I came to stand behind Neo's seat, leaning down and gently kissing the top of her head. "Be back later." Neo nodded, tilting her head back to look at me with a smile.

I shook my head, taking the lead out of the apartment, Roman following behind.

"You know, Jaune, you've mellowed her out quite a bit." He commented, puffing on his cigar.

I shrugged. "Suppose I have, haven't I?"

"Mhm. Normally she's much more prone to, well, stabbing people on a whim. Haven't seen that lately."

"No, we really haven't."

Roman hummed quietly. "Think that has something to do with you wearing her out?" I didn't even have to see him to know he had a shit eating grin on his lips.

I felt a bit of heat creeping up my neck. I coughed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I've got no idea what you're talking about."

He arched a brow. "Oh? Are you sure? I thought I heard- "

"Shut up, Roman." I said, face now bright red.

He just chuckled and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, nothing to be ashamed of. You're a hormonal teenager with an attractive girlfriend who sleeps in your bed. It's bound to happen eventually."

I coughed, shaking my head. If my face got any hotter, I think it'd catch fire. "Yeah, well…" I groaned, which only got him to chuckle again. "Just drop it."

He snickered. "So, what was it I heard, then?"

I glared at him. "Drop it, Roman."

He rolled his eyes, smiling in a knowing way. "Whatever you say, kid."

The two of us made our way to the Club, slipping in the back door as we made our way to Junior's office.

Junior was waiting for us, flipping through piles and piles of paper, occasionally taking a drink of whiskey or scribbling something down on one of the sheets. He looked up as we entered, though, nodding to us both. "Jaune, Roman. Good to see you both."

"Likewise, Junior." Roman said, slipping into one of the two seats in front of Junior's desk, kicking his feet up and leaning back in his seat.

"Right, I'd appreciate it if you didn't put your boots on my desk." Junior said, swatting at Roman's feet, though they didn't move. Junior just sighed and shook his head, opening a drawer in his desk and handing me a rather large manila folder. "Everything I could find on Mountain Glenn." He met my gaze. "I had to call in a few big favors to get that, so this had better be worth something."

I nodded, taking the folder and sliding into the seat next to Roman. "If it took big favors, it'll be good."

Junior nodded, looking back to Roman. "So, I hear you've got some business with me?"

I quickly tuned their conversation out, finding myself absorbed in the files I had just been handed.

[-/-]

I found myself pacing back and forth behind the stage, looking up at one of the many Paladins we'd managed to steal. I was never good at this – public speaking, being in front of huge crowds. It wasn't my thing.

It was made slightly easier on me thanks to the fact that I was masked, so my identity was completely hidden. That had come as a piece of advice from Junior once he knew I was going to be involved in this. In reality, it only made sense. What with the whole video clip that I'd be showing and all, being in the mask lent a bit of extra credibility to it.

Then, in a stroke of genius, he had come up with the idea that I not actually use my name. Then, of course, came the issue of if I'm getting a stage name, what was it?

That was when Roman pointed out that my mask has a name. 'The Virtuoso'. It fit, sorta. Personally, I wasn't a fan of it, but it definitely worked.

Junior, being as well connected and amenable to helping me as he is, saw fit to put a voice changer in behind the mask as well. I would be all but completely anonymous. It was more a precautionary thing, one that we put in place, again, thanks to Junior.

What with how large his crime family had grown, Junior was starting to get some inroads with the VPD. There, he had caught wind of a sting operation on the White Fang. There were no specifics, but it was the same day as our rally.

Due to that, Roman, Junior, and I set up some extra security in the form of the Twins and Not-Jerry. Would it be over kill? Almost assuredly. Did it make me any less nervous? Not even slightly.

Roman clapped me on the shoulder. "Alright, kid. We're just about ready to start. You good?"

I swallowed nervously, rolling my shoulders back. I rested a hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors to try and comfort myself. "As ready as I'm going to be." I said, eyeing the mask in my hand. _It's go time, Jaune._

He nodded. "Alright, we'll get this show on the road then."

_Remember. You're here to rile up the White Fang and unveil the Paladin. The goal is to get them ready and wanting to come with us to Mountain Glenn._ I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, slipping the mask on, activating the voice changer.

Before I really knew what had happened, I was called out to come up on the stage by Perry who quickly took a couple steps back so I could stand front and center. Behind me, I had Roman and Neo, both waiting and looking rather intimidating.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. _Remember. You're not Jaune. You're The Virtuoso. Act like it._

I strode forward onto the stage, taking the center. I found myself smiling, much like my mask despite the fact that they couldn't see it.

"Boo!"

"Why is a human here?!"

I chuckled slightly, shaking my head. "You know, that's the same question I asked. After all, I am the epitome of what you all despise – a human. One with wealth and power, and the ability to hold it over your head."

"Get off the stage!"

"In your eyes, I may as well be the same as every other human – evil, rotten, vermin with only one goal in mind: to keep myself on top." I paused for a moment, taking in a breath. "Though, I ask only one thing: turn your attention to this." I said, clicking a button.

The video clip of myself and Winter fighting played, at least in part. By the end, the crowd was silent. "Atlas, those who have held their position of power over you and yours for decades. I fought their best – a woman you might know as Specialist Winter Schnee." There was a loud roar from the crowd at her name. "And I won. I may be human, I may have wealth and power, but she had more. Infinitely more. She trained almost her entire life for her position, and me?" I laughed. "I have only had my Aura unlocked for six months, and despite that, I stand before you today the victor."

The crowd seemed unsure, though they were far quieter than before. "I am not so different from you. I was a simple man before – a nobody. I had no real skills, not in combat, or anything else. Yet, after six months of training, I am able to battle toe to toe with an Atlas Specialist." I paused, surveying the crowd. "Imagine what you could do in that time."

There were murmurings amongst the White Fang, though I pressed on. "And, if that is not enough. Not only did I face, and beat Specialist Winter Schnee, I brought you this." I said, pulling back the curtain, with some help from Perry.

Revealed was a Paladin with the insignia of the White Fang painted in red on either side of the cockpit. "These are Atlas' new toys to fend off the forces of darkness, and I managed to nab a few before they hit the shelves, so to say."

There was cheering now, and I grinned beneath the mask. _Time to bring it home._ "Now, many of your brothers and sisters have already left the city to our operation in the south east. If you want to stay here, that's _fine_. But, if you'd like to prove yourselves, this is what awaits you."

There was cheering in the crowd now, people who wanted to fight, to come with us to Mountain Glenn. _To their deaths._

The familiar voice of Not-Jerry picked up in my ear. _"Heads up. We've got multiple incoming. Bullheads, police cruisers. At least two Huntsmen. Things are about to get chaotic."_

Roman responded. _"Got it."_

He stepped forward, calling out over the crowd and asking for quiet, only starting to speak once he could be heard. "Now, I don't mean to alarm any of you, but we have just gotten word that the VPD are on their way here." There was some murmuring in the crowd.

I bit my lower lip. "Now is your chance. Prove yourselves. Prove your loyalty to the cause!"

There was a brief moment of silence before a loud cheer rang out. Roman looked over to me and nodded appreciatively. "Well done, kid."

_"About thirty seconds, get ready." _Not-Jerry said over the comms. I glanced over to Roman and nodded, drawing Crocea Mors and shifting it into its rifle form.

Thirty seconds. In TV shows, movies, and books, they always make it seem like a lot of time, but in reality? It came and went in a blink of an eye.

Windows were shattered, doors busted open, and VPD officers flooding into the meeting area. I found myself amazed, really. _This must be the whole force, all gathered in one place._ At least, that's what it looked like.

"Perry! Get in that Paladin. Show them what its capable of!" Roman shouted, leveling off his cane and firing several rounds at one of the ropes that officers were rappelling down onto the floor with.

The entire building quickly turned into a firefight of massive proportions, though we had the upper hand. Even though we weren't all armed, they only had so many ways to enter the building. Not to mention, inside we've got three Huntsman trained, or roughly equivalent people. Plus, a massive mech.

There was also the issue that many of the VPD officers didn't have their Aura unlocked, and so they were cut through like paper. The same went for many of the White Fang, though. Some clearly had Aura, and they were mostly alive, but those who didn't were being cut through just the same as the officers.

_"The Twins were forced to retreat. You've got two huntsmen inbound on your location."_ Not-Jerry called, his voice backed by constant gun fire.

I had been firing down from the stage along with Roman, taking shots at whatever moved that didn't immediately look like White Fang. Part of me suspected I'd shot a number of our own along the way, but I couldn't dwell on that while I had the danger of being shot at myself.

Behind us, Perry got the mech running, and went charging through the crowd into the VPD officers who were slowly making headway into the building.

Shortly thereafter, I found my gaze drawn to the door, and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

Standing there, in the doorway was the familiar shock of blond hair, the same ocean blue eyes, and face set into an almost perpetual scowl.

Jason Arc had arrived.

* * *

**And that, my friends, is where we leave this chapter off.**

**For all those looking to lodge a complaint, feel free to lodge them with our HR department, and I'm sure they will reach me... Eventually. Jokes aside though, Papa Arc is here, and oh boy. Truth be told, it was really hard for me to cut the chapter here, but the cliff hanger is nice, and since I'm gonna be gone for a while, it lets you guys stew and wonder so all kinds of good stuff.**

**That said, on we charge to the reviews!**

**Greer - Jaune is, as he said, afraid. He's afraid of having everything he's fought for and earned in his time as a criminal just ripped away from him. Be it Cinder, or another outside force threatening to do it, Jaune's going to do what he can to stand in the way of that.**

**Engineer - Well... It didn't exactly go as planned. Sure, he got the White Fang ready to fight, but well, there's always the issue of Papa Arc. Originally, rather than having the speech and Papa Arc showing up, I had Jaune reading through some reports from Mountain Glenn, reports written by people he knows. See, Qrow didn't know there were casualties on Jaune's side. Jaune never told him, and the Specialists didn't recover Jess' body, so they just don't know that they accomplished anything. And yes, that right eye is 100% gone, never to be seen from again. Aura is a powerful thing, yes, but the way I think about it is that it's not just a passive force field. You've gotta think about it. Winter was expecting him to hit her in the jaw, or perhaps the mouth, maybe try and break her nose. She wasn't expecting the corner of a shield into her eye, and so didn't have Aura up to cover that specifically. Jaune being comforted by Neo. God, if my muse wasn't so laser focused on Criminally Good, I could probably write a pure fluff story for Jaune x Neo, or Jaune x Ruby.**

**Nuclear Pen Strokes - Many, many more chapters in this story's future. Though I will say that the story, at least as far as I've got anything planned, ends at the end of Season 3. And, I think, we're like... Half way through Season 2 by now? Thereabouts? I dunno, I'm not super sure on the timeline.**

**Kaotic Overlord - Glad you're enjoying, my friend. SilentKnight isn't my all time favorite ship, but it's pretty high up on that list. Thing is, in general, I'm a sucker for fluff of any kind. Reading it, writing it. Either way, it's all kinds of fun and just makes me feel warm and fuzzy.**

**Luine Mercury - Well, Happy Birthday to you, friendo. I mean, yeah. It makes sense that it might be Ozzy, though there are other powerful figures out there watching from the shadows. Well... Jaune is going to avoid the Team RWBY + Sun and Nep fight... In exchange for a fight with Papa Arc and the second Huntress we've yet to see but should all be afraid of. If I had the choice, I'd take Team RWBY.**

**Josh Spicer - Well, let's say it is Ozzy. Qrow's seen some shit, and knows what Ozzy's turned him into. He also knows Jaune a bit now, and even if he'll vehemently deny it, likes him. In that situation, would Qrow want Ozzy to turn Jaune into another, younger version of himself? I'd gamble and say not - Qrow is loyal, but he's also got a heart of gold hidden underneath all that functioning alcoholism and dickish personality. Probably why he's my next favorite character after the criminal crew.**

**X3 - Well, Ozzy is known for his grand master 900+ IQ plays that make no logic to us mere mortals, so there isn't a single thing we can rule out. Not even him being the king of Grimm, and using Salem as nothing more than a mere puppet. (Crackpot theory with no evidence or substance, but if people can find evidence I want it. Now.) Well... Jaune isn't fighting a team, if that's good news. Bad news is, he's fighting something much _much_ scarier. Though, a noteworthy thing is that Jaune isn't the only one with connections to Papa Arc. Roman's got some old ties himself.**

**Valerious Lake - So, like I've said, Jaune doesn't know who died at the docks. He never saw them, nor the bodies. Because of that, I've chosen to not disclose who's dead.**

**Nobody of Nowhere - Silent Knight is one of the better ships, at least to me. It depends on how both Neo and Jaune are written. I've said it before that the Yandere type for Neo and the spineless wimp for Jaune that I've seen a bit of really just irks me. Some people like it, and power to you, but it's not my deal. I prefer the slightly more natural relationship, other than my accidentally jumping the gun right at the start way back at the start of the story.**

**Javi Grace - I've been writing in the fluff because it's just fun for me to write, and it's been good for Jaune. It won't be every chapter, especially as things in the story start to ramp up to chaotic levels of shit show, but while things are quiet, we can have some cuteness.**

**Imperial Germany - _Cough cough._ Yeah, right. Well, uh. He didn't fuck it up _too_ terribly. At least, he gave a half decent speech? I dunno, I can't write rousing speeches - that's something that despite my years worth of trying, I've always failed at. Jaune's fuck up came in the appearance of Papa Arc, and our as of yet, unknown other Huntress. Next chapter is gonna be fun.**

**Azrael Saint - Yeah, I can imagine that'd be a bit spooky, especially if I didn't say anything ahead of time. The Breach is looming, and Jaune still isn't completely in the know, so to say. The file on Mountain Glenn was helpful, but didn't tell him everything. Qrow is a troll, an asshole, completely insufferable, and an alcoholic to boot. Despite all of that, we love him. He just so happens to be Jaune's only real drinking buddy, so even if he irritates Jaune, he's gotta deal with it.**

**And that's all the reviews done.**

**Okay, so, I'm going to be putting another poll up on my profile before I leave on Vacation. Even though it's a ways off, once Criminally Good ends, I'm gonna need to start publishing a new story. I've got a few ideas rattling around up in my head, two of which are up on my profile, and those are gonna be what you have to chose from. Go check out the summaries and see which one catches your eye more. I'll be leaving this poll up basically until Criminally Good ends, but be sure to drop your vote early.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, July 22nd (I know, it's a long wait.)**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Monday Afternoon, here we are with another Chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Feels good to be back.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 25]

This was bad.

It was one thing to have the VPD and a couple of Huntsmen attempt to raid the White Fang rally. That, I suspect, I could've handled.

What I can't handle, is my father showing up.

He had changed little in the time since I've been gone, still just as tall, stocky, and imposing as I remembered him. Even though I was taller than him, as were many of the Faunus, he bore this sort of aura about himself that threatened to crush all those who would stand in his way under heel.

He had since replaced Crocea Mors with a weapon of similar design – a simple sword and shield. There didn't seem to be any mechashift components that I could pick out, but that didn't mean there weren't any.

Behind him, the other Huntress showed herself.

She was tall, towering even a few inches over my father. She had that same imposing and threatening aura that he did, one that could make even full grown and battle-hardened men quake in their boots.

She looked awful similar to my mother, though I knew that wasn't the case. Mom wasn't Huntsman trained, nor did she even have her Aura unlocked.

Beside me, Roman just chuckled, spreading his arms wide. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Jason Arc, here in the flesh." He called out, hopping down off the stage. "Oh, and would you look at that. He's brought the wonderful Glynda Goodwitch with him as well."

The White Fang parted for Roman as he pushed his way through the crowd, though the fighting continued to rage on around him as the VPD and Fang fought it out. In the blink of an eye, Neo had appeared at Roman's side, her parasol in hand ready to fight.

I swallowed nervously, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. _You can do this, Jaune. He's just another Huntsman. Nothing to be afraid of._ I too stepped down off the stage and fell in beside Neo who was a couple of strides behind Roman.

Jason looked none to amused. "Roman. I see you haven't changed in the slightest." He didn't seem bothered by Neo's or my presence as we met somewhere in the middle of the old warehouse floor.

Roman shrugged, spinning his cane in hand. "Why would I? I'm the king of thieves. It's a pretty sweet life you left behind." Roman paused for a moment more. "You never answered my question, though. How are the kids? Is Jaune still chasing his dream of becoming a Huntsman?"

Jason blew a puff of breath out his nose and tightened his grip on his sword. "That's not your concern."

Roman grinned all the wider. "Oh, did I hit a nerve? Let me guess, he did something didn't he?" Jason growled lowly. "Ohhhh, he did. Let me guess – he ran away."

Jason shouted out and charged at Roman, slashing down at the master criminal's chest.

Roman caught the blade with the end of his cane and, with some effort, pulled open my father's guard. He then delivered a solid sucker punch straight to the throat, making Jason stumble back. "You know, it's rude to interrupt people when they're talking."

The other Huntress had decided that she'd had enough of this, brandishing her riding crop in hand. A purple glow surrounded Roman then, and he was lifted up into the air.

Neo was quick, however, rushing at the Huntress, forcing her to drop Roman down and focus on Neo.

Roman pulled himself up and dusted off his coat. "So, Little Jaune ran away. You know, that doesn't surprise me – all he wanted, in the little time I had known him, was to be a Huntsman just like his papa. He wanted to be a hero, to kill the Grimm and save lives." Roman grinned wide. "But you never would train him. You were afraid of what he might become."

Behind me, the fighting was still raging between the White Fang and the VPD. Thanks to the massive firepower of the Paladin, the VPD were quickly being pushed back. Despite that, though, there was a disparity in casualties that was plainly obvious. The White Fang were generally normal people with normal lives and jobs. Most didn't have Aura, and even fewer had proper combat training.

It was a blood bath.

Jason coughed, glaring at Roman. "You always talked too much." He said, launching into another charge at Roman. The master thief dodged off to the right, avoiding the impact completely. In retaliation, he brought his cane around and attempted to slam it into the back of my father's knees.

Jason was faster, though. He avoided the blow just barely and pushed on, creating a bit of space between the two. Roman leveled off his cane and fired a couple of rounds from it, the explosive shells impacting the shield uselessly.

"But I'm right. You were afraid of what he might see – what he might do, and what he might become." Roman taunted farther, spinning his cane in hand as he watched Jason.

Neo came flying back into the battle, though not of her own volition. There was a purple glow surrounding her as she came crashing into Roman.

The master thief groaned and got to his feet, looking between myself and Jason. "Ah, I've been rude. Jason, you know Neo of course, but I'd like you to meet my newest protégé. He goes by the stage name 'The Virtuoso.'" He turned his attention to me then, inclining his head. "You keep him busy – I'm off to greet another old friend of mine." He said, launching himself beside Neo towards the other Huntress.

My father turned his attention to me then, and rolled his shoulders back. He took a moment to analyze me – the way I stood, the weapons I had, the armor I wore. He was looking for a weak spot – something he could abuse.

I ground my teeth together and fell into a ready stance, looking him over as well. _He doesn't appear to have any armor on, nor a spare weapon on hand. From what little I saw with Roman, he's a faster combatant that just uses a shield rather than a second sword. If I disarm him, he might come crashing down uselessly._

_I've never fought another opponent with a shield. Makes me think that shield bashing him won't really get me anywhere of he can just meet mine with his. How am I going to get around that?_ I would have to figure that out on the fly as he charged me first.

He had his sword raised like he planned to do an over head attack in attempts to bring my shield down and leave my guard open. I slipped off to one side, though he was prepared for that and used his shield against my open flank, bashing it into me and making me stumble forward.

I regained my footing as quickly as I could, spinning around just in time to catch his blade with the top edge of my shield. I kicked out at his ankle, though rather than letting me land that blow, he disengaged.

I wasn't about to let that continue, so I pressed forward, making a slash towards his chest. One which was caught by his shield. I made to take advantage of my metal mask, slamming my head forward into his forehead.

That got him to stumble back, though he recovered remarkably quickly. He then pushed forward with a flurry of blows. First was his shield impacting in to mine at an angle. He used the front of his shield to get on the edge of mine and pushed it out of the way with ease, then following up with three or four solid blows to my side which I thankfully had armor to protect.

"Funny how we both use sword and shield, no?" I asked, taking a step back and raising my guard once again.

He didn't respond and just charged at me once more. He attempted the same tactic he had just used on me, though this time I was ready.

He pushed my shield out of the way, leaving him open to attack as well. I took that opportunity and stepped closer in to his guard, letting my shield fall from my arm. I brought an elbow up, slamming it into his nose.

That stunned him briefly, and I pressed the attack. I brought Crocea Mors around, making to slash at his chest, though the blade was caught by his own. He then delivered a solid kick to my knee – one that my Aura absorbed the impact of, but I'll be damned if it didn't hurt.

He didn't let up, though, using my lack of a shield to his advantage, he used his own to bash me in the chest and make me stumble back away from him.

Rather than create any space, though, he followed right behind me, bringing his own sword around to slash at my chest.

I made the split-second decision to let it impact my armor – the theory was that it might get stuck lodged in there and let me counter attack.

It paid off as the blade wasn't as sharp as Crocea Mors and didn't cut through the breastplate like butter. I swept at his legs, pulling his feet out from under him.

Despite that, he kept a firm grip on the hilt of the sword, letting gravity do the work of ripping the blade from my chest plate for him.

As soon as he toppled down to the ground, I danced back away from him, wielding Crocea Mors in one hand. The shield portion had remained where it was, laying at his side as he pulled himself up.

Before he had a chance to see what was happening, I had pulled one of the ice Dust grenades off my collection and lobbed it forward. He only had a second to notice the grenade on the ground before it went off, a massive sheet of ice spreading out over the floor of the warehouse, enrapturing White Fang and VPD alike in its frozen grasp.

I broke free from it quickly, charging at him with Crocea Mors and one dagger in hand.

He focused on me, using his shield to block Crocea Mors' swing, though I used the ice to my advantage. I slipped down on to my side, slashing the dagger across the back of his ankle. It didn't draw blood, but it probably did a number on his Aura.

I stopped sliding and scrambled up to my feet. My shield was now half encrusted with ice and stuck to the ground, so I had a good feeling I wasn't getting it back any time soon.

Jason broke the ice's grip on his ankles and glared over at me. "Roman sure knows how to pick 'em."

I grinned behind my mask. "He's taught me everything I know."

"That explains a lot." He said as he charged at me again.

I didn't attempt to dodge, instead I threw myself forward, diving at his legs to knock them out from under him. That didn't catch him off guard, and he dove off to the side, sliding across the ice a few feet away.

I pulled myself up to my feet once again, glancing over to Roman and Neo's fight.

Things were chaotic. It hardly seemed like they could land a hit on that Huntress, though I could see the concentration on her face. _At this rate, Roman and Neo won't get anywhere other than defeated. She needs to lose focus._

I pulled one of my fire Dust grenades off the bandolier and threw it at the other Huntress.

"Glynda! Incoming!" Jason shouted.

The grenade clattered down onto the ice and slid to be right at her feet. She turned to look at the explosive and just barely had time enough to surround it in the purple glow that could only have been her semblance.

The explosion was contained in the small area until it dissipated. That, however, was enough for Roman and Neo to get on top of her. "Thanks for the assist, kid!" Roman shouted out.

I was slammed into from the side, sending me toppling down into the ice in a heap. My sword went skittering out of my hand and away from me, though I still had the dagger.

My father was on me in an instant, making to stab down at my chest.

I rolled off to the side, making the blow miss. My now free hand pulled the second fire Dust grenade from the bandolier and pulled the pin, holding the lever down until I was ready to use it.

Jason was not keen on letting me go easily, and continued to press the attack against me. Again, he cut down towards my torn up breastplate, a blow that I knew would cut it the rest of the way through this time.

I caught the swing with my dagger, and quickly found myself losing the strength battle – he had both leverage and more strength than I did.

I released the fire dust grenade, the explosive clattering down to the ice under us. I ceded the strength battle and kicked at his ankle, sending him down onto the ice right next to the explosive. I rolled off to the side and away from the explosive I had dropped.

I was still hit by the impact, though much less than he was. Regardless, it did a fair number on my Aura, so I could only imagine what it did to him.

I pulled myself back up to my feet again, now with only the one dagger in hand. I scanned the area, finding that his sword had also been lost in the fight, and was closer to me than Crocea Mors was.

The warehouse was starting to fill with mist that made seeing practically impossible. I picked up the blade, spinning it in hand. It was balanced, and felt similar to Crocea Mors in some ways. It lacked that feeling of comfort that my blade gave, though.

I was breathing heavily, the only other sound being that of raging combat all around me. Fights that could've been Roman and Neo, or the White Fang continuing to push out the VPD.

_"Hate to be the bringer of bad news, guys, but there's more incoming. At least four Huntsmen."_ The voice of Not-Jerry called out.

_"Right. Jaune, Neo, we're leaving."_ Roman responded.

"Got it." I said quietly, still scanning the area around me for the impending ambush that my father would have planned for me.

I was right to be watching as he came charging out of the mist with none other than Crocea Mors in hand, his own shield on his arm. His eyes screamed of bloody murder, but also hurt, anger, and a number of other emotions I couldn't place in an instant.

_He knows._

I caught the swing from Crocea Mors with my sword, slipping around him to bring my dagger down into his shoulder.

He spun on me, slamming his elbow into my face, forgetting that I was wearing a metal mask. Regardless, I felt the impact and stumbled back slightly.

"Jaune?" he asked tentatively, breathing heavily.

I charged forward, slamming my shoulder into his shield. He made to throw me off, and I spun with it, coming to be right behind him, just like Neo had done to me countless times. I slashed my dagger again at his back, ripping through the coat he wore, and damaging his Aura more. "Hi, dad."

_"Need some help there, kid?"_ Roman asked.

"Let me handle this." I responded.

Jason slammed his shield forward, though I danced back, forcing him to hit nothing but air. I used his blade to cut across his chest, though also hit only air as he dodged back.

"Your mother and sisters are worried about you." He said, charging forward at me, making impact with his shield into my chest this time. He brought Crocea Mors down into my shoulder, cutting deep into my Aura.

I dropped his sword, using the now free hand to pull another grenade from my bandolier, ripping one of the gravity Dust ones. I dropped it at his feet and scrambled back.

I was farther away than he was, and the grenade thankfully had the effect I was looking for. It slowed him massively, making it harder for him to move.

Now panting and completely out of breath, I knew I could only take one hit before my Aura shattered completely. I approached the form of my father struggling up to his feet.

I ripped swept my feet behind his ankles and brought him down onto the ground again.

He groaned and looked up at me, meeting only the impassive, sadistic face of The Virtuoso staring down at him. "Why, Jaune?" He asked. He sounded vulnerable, and now that I think about it, this is the first time I've ever heard him that way.

I brought my heel down onto the wrist holding Crocea Mors, grinding it until he released the blade.

_"You've got about thirty seconds before things get real hairy in there, Jaune."_ Not-Jerry warned.

I crouched down and picked up the blade. "Because I wanted to be a hero, just like you."

He looked like he was about to say something, though was cut off as I delivered a solid kick to the side of his head, knocking the old man out.

I looked back up and found my shield laying inert on the ground. I dashed forward, scooping it up as the last of the mist cleared.

The fighting was still raging, though the Paladin was nowhere to be seen. Glynda was unconscious as well, with Roman and Neo nowhere to be seen.

I broke out the back door of the warehouse, slamming it closed behind me. There was a Bullhead waiting a few feet away, and I dashed forward as it started to lift off, grabbing on to the hooked end of Roman's cane that he had held out to me.

He pulled me in to the flying death machine, sliding the door closed behind him.

I was vaguely aware that Roman was talking to me, though nothing really processed through my overloaded mind.

_He was here. Jason Arc. I fought him, and I won. Was it luck? Skill? What over took me, when I saw him I thought I would panic and crumble, yet in reality I was calm and collected. I fought him even though the odds should've been stacked against me._ I leaned back against the wall of the Bullhead and closed my eyes.

_Roman said he was afraid of what I might become… Is this it? Is this what he was afraid of? Of me turning to crime to get by? No, that can't be it. If that's what he was afraid of, he would've trained me, taught me, and prepared me. What was he afraid of me seeing and becoming? What scared him enough to keep me from doing what I always wanted?_

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Roman snapping his fingers in front of my face. "Hello, Remnant to Jaune, anyone home?"

I blinked a few times, nodding. "What, yeah, I'm here."

Roman nodded. "Right. You did good in there, kid."

I nodded dumbly, pulling off my mask. "Yeah, thanks." I said, still distracted.

I found myself looking down at the twisted sadistically grinning face of The Virtuoso. It didn't feel like me – it had a cold weight to it, calm, calculating, efficient, and paranoid. Is that what I'd become? Am I just a ruthless and efficient criminal? Ruthless and efficient like my father?

"Cinder won't be pleased that we lost so many of her recruits, but she'll just have to manage with what we've got." Roman said, puffing on his cigar idly.

I looked up to him, pausing for a brief minute. "Roman… How exactly are you and my father connected?"

Roman hummed. "It's a long story, Jaune. One I really don't want to tell."

I shook my head. "No, Roman. I want to know. I _need _to know. What was he afraid of me becoming, of me seeing? Is it this? A life of crime?"

Roman shook his head. "No, Jaune. This isn't what he was afraid of." He sighed and took another puff off his cigar, blowing it out through his nose. "But if you really want to know, I'll share."

I nodded. "Please, Roman."

"Right, well, we were friends. Good friends – I had known him since back in Combat School, even though he was three years older than I was." Roman waved his hand dismissively. "He graduated right as I got into my second year, and we didn't speak much."

"Well, after my team and I graduated, we took a post. We were to be part of the security detail in Mountain Glenn – there to protect one of the higherups in the council who was there visiting for some reason or another." He shrugged. "Everything was going just fine, no issue, until the wall was breached."

He laughed bitterly and shook his head. "It was powerful – rocked the whole city. I don't know what caused it, but I know for sure that it couldn't have been a Grimm. There isn't a Grimm in existence that has enough power and stealth ability to creep up on the wall, and blow a massive hole in it without being seen."

"It was there that I met up with your father again. He was part of the defense force of Mountain Glenn. Together with his team and mine, we helped to evacuate civilians and hold back the tide of Grimm. We were making for the under-ground tunnels that connected Mountain Glenn and Vale." I noted that Roman was just looking out over the city below us.

"Things weren't looking pretty. It was one hell of a fight, but we were doing our jobs. We had to protect the civilians first and foremost. Death was just an occupational hazard." He blew another puff of smoke out his nose. "We were told to retreat. All the Huntsmen were to retreat to Vale. It didn't make any sense. Why? We'd just be leaving all these innocents to die."

"Regardless, we did as we were ordered. They had to have a plan, right? I was expecting to be met with massive reinforcements at Vale so we could push the Grimm back." Roman laughed bitterly once more. "I was a fool. Once they were convinced they had evacuated the majority of Huntsmen, the collapsed the tunnels. They had lined them with explosives – almost like they expected this to happen."

Roman spat on the ground, glaring at nothing in particular. "I was lucky to be on the right side of that explosion, only listening and feeling it shake the ground. My team wasn't nearly so lucky." He paused for a moment, closing his eyes. "They were still down there. Fighting Grimm and helping protect civilians. They were the rear guard, doing what they had been told. And just like that, at the click of a button from one councilman, they along with hundreds of thousands of civilians were buried."

I frowned, narrowing my eyes, though didn't say anything.

"Your father's team was slaughtered as well – only he and one other made it out." Roman shook his head. "I didn't understand – I still don't. We could've saved so many more civilians and Huntsmen alike. I was furious – all my friends, people I had come to trust with my life over four years together, dead in an instant. All because of one callous councilman."

He growled lowly, still glaring at the wall. "I wanted to know why. So, I started digging. Your father was with me. He wanted to know, too. He had to know why his teammates were killed seemingly needlessly." He tossed his mostly finished cigar out the window, wind howling for a moment through the opened glass. "We did everything – it didn't matter what lines we crossed. That's where I met Junior, and later Neo."

He shook his head once more. "We found it. Vale had a population problem, and that was why Mountain Glenn was founded. Sure, that's fine, and a good way to solve the problem. Well, it seems they had a plan, just in case. If things went south, they could collapse the tunnels with explosives imbedded into the walls." He shrugged, looking at me now. "That's fine – good to think ahead, and all. Then we found the order. The order to delay the civilian extraction into Vale."

He spat on the ground again. "They delayed and delayed until they couldn't any more. They waited until people were about to start rioting, and then bang. They collapsed the tunnels, killing hundreds of thousands, if not more. The kicker is that they claimed it was a fault in one of the supports that caused the tunnel to collapse."

I couldn't wrap my head around that, either. Why they'd just so willingly cut down so many of their own people.

"It was the council's fault this happened. They're the ones who killed those innocents. Innocents that deserved some retribution." He pursed his lips for a moment. "I tracked down the councilman who made the order, and the one who carried it out. Together, with your father, we executed them for crimes against Vale and her people."

He ran his fingers through his hair as his hat sat on his lap. "Your father wanted out, and I couldn't blame him. They were pinning the killings on me, not to mention I wasn't careful with how I conducted myself. I was a wanted man with an unknown accomplice." He smiled slightly. "I was fine if he left, but he wasn't. He tried to turn me in. Set up an ambush and tried to capture me."

He shot a glance to Neo who was sitting next to him on the Bullhead. "Only reason I wasn't was because of Neo and her, in my opinion, bullshit semblance."

Neo responded by sticking her tongue out at Roman.

"So, my father was afraid of what I might see – civilians being massacred 'for the greater good?' He was afraid that I wouldn't let it stand and go down that same road he did?" I asked, my mind swimming now.

Roman nodded. "That's the short of it, yes. He saw something so terrible, so indescribable that he couldn't stand by and let it go unpunished. He fought back, and crossed several lines to do it. Ones he hated himself for crossing."

I blinked, staring down at my feet now. "My father was a criminal, just like you. Just like me."

Roman nodded. "That's right. It's a damn shame, too. He was good at what he did, just like you are."

I shook my head. "I'm not good, Roman. I'm just lucky."

"Luck doesn't have you beat professional Huntsmen. It helps you survive against them, but not beat them."

"I doubt I could do it again." I commented, staring down at my mask still.

Roman laughed and shook his head. "I'm a gambling man, and I'd put all the Lien I have that you could."

I looked up to the master criminal. "I'm nowhere near that good." I insisted, because in truth I wasn't. I barely survived against Winter, barely survived against Penny, and through sheer dumb luck, beat my father. It was a pattern, sure, but I truthfully wasn't as good as Roman was making me out to be.

"You really are, Jaune. You've been fighting opponents far beyond your skill level, and surviving. In this case, you've won. I can't explain that any other way than skill." Roman said, crossing his arms.

I shrugged. "If you say so, Roman. If you say so."

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**On to the reviews!**

**Blue Barn Owl - Yeah, he's wondered. Not that I've written, but the thought has crossed his mind.**

**Greer - Well, no more waiting because it's here!**

**Dino Guy - Well, the second huntress wasn't interesting because we were so focused on Jaune v Jason. A fight that is gonna have ramifications for chapters to come, definitely. The Mountain Glenn job is very rapidly encroaching on us, like, I think there's one chapter before it starts. It'll be fun times, I promise.**

**Evil Monkey - I was particularly evil with that last chapter cliff hanger right before I left on vacation. Originally, that chapter went all the way to where Jason figured out that The Virtuoso was Jaune, but I changed my mind.**

**Engineer - Yeah, but at least it didn't happen in a real fight. Just a spar. That's the other thing, with how fast the show Jaune grows, I've seriously got to wonder how terrifying he would be if he got trained from the start, or just different training. From people who are far more ruthless. Neo v Jaune's sisters would be amusing, definitely. At least for Neo, they'd not be nearly as amused. See, my reasoning behind that is because the show has basically used both explanations that it's passive, and that you've gotta focus it. So I just went with the one that made more sense to me, but there's nothing wrong with thinking about it the other way around, too.**

**X3 - Fight Smarter Fight Harder. Jaune is learning, adapting, and changing. The show has basically none of their characters doing that, and to me I go 'But why? You've seen new things, maybe something you might want to pick up and try? Like a gun? Or grenades? Or anything? Please?' I know there's a lot of characters I've not introduced or done anything with, but they're all around, doing things. Just not Jaune related things.**

**Rahmanism - Glad you like the story and the romance. There will be at least one sister involved, yes.**

**Valerious Lake - Yuuup. Papa Arc = Jason Arc.**

**Azrael Saint - I seriously love the Jhin mask - AKA The Virtuoso.**

**Imperial Germany - Yeah, well, here he is. Their fight. Fun.**

**2 Am Guest - Hey, it was evil, and I understand that it's a bit annoying, but it makes you look forward to the next chapter a load, so that's why I did it.**

**Sgt Soul Snatcher - So, okay. It depends. The way my outline is currently, this is a one shot story and once its done, its done. Though if I get enough requests for Criminally Good 2 Electric Boogaloo, it's possible. Don't sweat the rant, chief. I don't mind longer comments.**

**Dragon Lord Draco - Very bad indeed.**

**Josh Spicer - We think Qrow is the rat, eh? It seems likely, but who knows?**

**And that's all my reviews done**

**Now, I return from vacation. Originally I was supposed to be back on Saturday, but as it turns out, I got home today. The power of rain, lightning, and really shit luck with flights being full. I got home at 6 AM this morning, and slept until noon. At which point I got up and wrote this chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about it, the fight was good I think, but idk.**

**Just gonna say again that if you have any vested interest in what story I start publishing next there's a poll up on my profile relating to the two stories I have outlined there. Go check it out and vote on which one you're more interested in. I've got them both outlined, and they're both great. Regardless of which one gets picked, they'll both get written and posted, just in different orders.**

**That said, I'm going back to sleep. Sleeping on the floor of an airport is hard and uncomfortable as hell.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, July 26th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Friday Morning, and more Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 26]

I can't focus.

Nothing is clear; nothing has been since the rally.

First, my father. Why is he here? Why hasn't he ratted me out? He knows I'm The Virtuoso, yet the media doesn't. Why did he betray Roman? Was his connection to the master thief the reason he was never around for my childhood? Was the reason he refused to train me because he couldn't stand to see me become what he was? What is he? A hero? A criminal? Both? Neither?

I shook my head. _No. That's important, yes, but I've got bigger fish to fry. Just focus, Jaune._

I let out a long breath, opening my eyes once again. I was sat upright in my bed, leaning back against the wall as I stared at the closed door across from me, almost like I expected it to be part of the conspiracy I had gotten tangled in.

Not but two hours ago, Roman had explained to me what we were doing in Mountain Glenn, as it had been to him.

We were there to oversee the White Fang as they excavated the tunnels that ran between the ruined city and Vale. Once that has been done, we're to load an old train that they've managed to get operational with all the Dust we've collected over the past few months.

_That's what it was for. We were arming a small army with enough explosives to level several districts in Vale. Dust explosives._

At which point, once Cinder gives us the order, we're to drive that train at full steam into the wall at the far end of the tunnel which should be somewhere around the central shopping district. With Roman, Neo, and myself all on board.

And while that's absolutely insane, there's more. It's not just a suicide mission for us, no. We're not only ramming a train packed with explosives into a solid stone wall, no. We're supposed to be having a legion of Grimm chasing us to boot. Grimm that'll go pouring out of the holes we're blowing all throughout Vale.

Cinder is no simple crime boss – she's a terrorist. One far more ambitious than the White Fang. She doesn't want to change the order of things – she wants to raze that order to the ground. On top of that, she wants to let Roman or myself to get captured once all is said and done.

_It's insanity. Why? What does she get from causing all this chaos? What's her goal?_ I was drawing a blank. I knew nothing about this woman – nobody knew anything about her. Junior couldn't dig up anything for me, Roman only knows what he's seen, and Neo is in that same boat. _What's her angle?_

I wanted to scream. _It makes no sense. First, she threatens Vale's greatest thief into working for her, and makes him steal all the Dust in Vale. Next, she sends him off to get caught up in a potentially lethal train crash and then asks either him or his new apprentice to get captured after the fact._

I fished out my flask, popping off the top and tossing it back, only to find that it was completely empty. "God damnit…" I grumbled, more or less to myself. I tossed the metal container across my room, listening as it clattered with the telltale sound of metal against metal.

I frowned and shifted to see my flask leaning against the visage of The Virtuoso, discarded on the floor along with Crocea Mors.

The twisted grin and dead eyes of the mask seemed to call to me. I couldn't place it, but it was like the mask itself was alive and wanted to be worn, to be used.

I laughed and shook my head, leaning back against the wall, tilting my head back to look up at the ceiling. "I'm fuckin' losing it if my mask is reaching out to me." I muttered to myself.

_Think, Jaune. What are your options?_

_Option A, go along with Cinder's plan. It's awful – I'd be signing away the lives of thousands almost single handedly, and for what? What would I gain? The potential to know how much deeper this rabbit hole goes? How unhinged Cinder is? And once I get there, then what? Then what'll I do? Come up with some hairbrained plan to undo whatever she's plotting?_

_Option B, turn tail and run. Not any better, really. I'm saving my own hide, potentially along with Neo and Roman, too. But we'd still be complicit in killing thousands – Cinder won't just abandon this if we quit. Even then, Roman wouldn't do it. He won't stand by and watch as thousands are massacred again at the whim of another._

_Option C, take her down. But how? If what Roman's told me, she'd be able to handle the three of us like we were mere flies on the wall, even if we were together. Her lackies themselves could probably hold us off for a time, or even beat us if they were smart about it. That rules out a head on approach._

I groaned and shook my head again, closing my eyes. _Come on, Jaune. You're good at this. You're good at making plans, spotting weaknesses and exploiting them. So what do we do? How do we handle this?_ I slammed my head back against the wall, not bothering to raise my Aura. _We can't do it alone – we'd never stand a chance. But who can we turn to? Junior, maybe? He's got the Twins, and a large goon army, but Cinder's got an army of her own. An army of White Fang._

I groaned, leaning forward to rest my chin on my knees now._ Allies. If we're taking down Cinder, we're going to need allies, but who? We've got the three of us for sure – then Junior who would probably come to our aid with the Twins and everything else. Roman's team, so that gives us Winston and Jack, both skilled fighters._

I bit on the inside of my cheek. "It's not enough… Nowhere near enough." I blew a frustrated puff of air out through my nose, letting my gaze land on my flask once again. _No… I mean, he might, but Roman wouldn't ever go for it. He's one of the Council's precious Huntsmen. A Huntsman with powerful allies_

I ran my fingers through my hair as I thought. _Can we trust him? He's not turned me in thus far, and he clearly knows more than he lets on… I wonder if he knows anything about Cinder? If he does, maybe it'll be helpful in leading me to answers – something that might help here._

It was a long shot, and one that wasn't exactly the best idea considering I'd have to reveal a lot, but it was all I had. Either I go to him and risk myself and my friends, or I don't and condemn thousands to die needlessly.

There's part of me that wants to just take what I've built here, the friends and family I've earned, and run. That's the safest option, the one that would have us all live and not have to worry about this fucking insane conspiracy to level Vale into a wasteland.

Then, there's reason. Junior wouldn't leave – Vale is his life. Everything he has, he owes to the city. Same for Roman. The man may be the top of the wanted list for murder of a high-ranking council man, but he'd never stand back and just watch innocents die when he could do something to stop it. "That'd make us no better than the Grimm… Heh."

I let my gaze fall back on the mask.

The Virtuoso. A well-armed, and extremely dangerous criminal with ties to both Roman Torchwick, and the White Fang. He was earning himself quite the name in the world. _Qrow knows that's me. I admitted as much to him, even if indirectly._ Still, this gives me an idea.

I couldn't help but to smile slightly as I pulled out my scroll and shot a message to Qrow.

_Jaune: Hey, old man. I need to chat with you. Meet me at the Crow Bar in fifteen._

_Qrow: Well now, someone's making demands. Your balls finally drop, brat?_

_Jaune: You going to be there or not?_

_Qrow: I don't plan on leaving any time soon._

I rolled my eyes as I pocketed my scroll. _Of course he'd be there._

I strapped on Crocea Mors, as well as my knives and made for the Crow Bar.

[-/-]

_This is a bad idea._

That was the only thought in my head as I sat alone in a Bullhead, the visage of The Virtuoso worn comfortably, almost like a second skin.

The Bullhead rattled and slowly came to a halt, landing gracefully on the landing pad.

I swallowed nervously behind the mask, my heart beating at a thousand miles an hour. _This is a bad idea. This is stupid. You're alone, no backup, no friends, nothing._

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _Calm down. Qrow promised that I wouldn't be detained or harmed at all during this. I just have to keep my cool. You can do this, Jaune._

I pulled myself up to my feet and swung out the door of the Bullhead.

It was the dead of night, just barely past three in the morning. Despite that, the grounds of Beacon Academy seemed to be teeming with life. Students who had heard there was something major happening who'd come to see what the fuss was about, as well as Atlas soldiers there, maintaining a perimeter around the Bullhead.

The spires of the school protruded up into the night sky, and seemed to be faintly glowing an orange hue – perhaps fire, or some nature of enchantment beyond my comprehension, if such a thing even exists.

Down the path, I saw two people I recognized rather well closing the distance between us. First up was my friend and drinking buddy Qrow who didn't approach with a smile, but a flat, neutral expression. Next to him was Winter Schnee, still sporting her plain white eye patch. She was glaring at me with enough heat to melt even her icy personality.

Beyond the perimeter of guards, I saw students looking on with interest – most expecting me to be taken down on the spot, likely.

As the two approached, Qrow spoke up. "Sorry 'bout the crowd. Beacon rumor mill – it's a wonderful creation that somehow knows everything."

I took another deep breath. _Remember, Jaune. Calm, cool, collected. You're in charge here._

I grinned behind the mask. "Our performance begins."

Winter growled lowly, sounding almost feral.

Qrow just chuckled. "Come, Winter. Don't be rude – this is our guest."

"I'll kill you both right here if I have to." She said quietly, glaring at me still.

I couldn't help but to smirk beneath the mask, spreading an arm wide. "I don't doubt you would try."

She snarled, though Qrow shot me a glare this time. "Cut it out. You're both adults, so act like it."

Winter simply huffed and turned on a heel to walk away. I shrugged and let Qrow lead on.

The rest of our walk through Beacon was silent, save for the sound of our feet hitting the cobblestones beneath us. Qrow led us through a series of twists and turns that almost seemed to loop back on itself, and very well may have done. While the exterior of Beacon is staggering and immense, the interior feels bland and dull, same as any other school.

Eventually, though, we entered an elevator. An elevator which took us up to the top of the center spire.

The doors opened, and revealed to me an elaborate office, one that seemed to be a fan of gears, like what you'd expect to find in a massive clocktower.

In the office, there were three people. First was a man seated at a desk, facing away from the elevator and looking out over the courtyard, and thus the city as well. On his left was the familiar face of Glynda Goodwitch – the woman Roman had fought at the rally, and only just barely won if the story I was told is completely accurate.

On the right was a behemoth of a man – easily towering over me, with well over twice my weight in muscle mass alone it seemed. He, like Winter, wore primarily white in what looked to be a military uniform. The only person this reasonably should be is General Ironwood, at least that's what I'd think.

The man seated in his chair behind the desk didn't even turn back to look at me. "Please, come, have a seat. Would you care for a cup of coffee?"

While a tempting offer, especially considering that it smelled heavenly, I had to decline. "I will pass." I said as I cautiously took a seat in the only chair on the other side of the desk. Winter retreated back to stand next to the elevator, her gaze trained on the back of my head.

Qrow had elected to amble off to the side, half seating himself on a small dresser or table of some nature, arms crossed as he watched with interest.

"Now, Mr. Virtuoso, is that correct?" The man facing the city asked, his tone of voice level and calm.

I hummed, crossing my arms and kicking my feet up onto the desk as I leaned back in my seat. "The Virtuoso, but I suppose that will do."

Glynda growled lowly and reached down towards her riding crop at my propping my feet up.

The man seated in the desk chair simply waved her off. "Very good." He spun on his chair to be facing me now.

He didn't look like all that much, honestly. He was older, as was denoted by his clearly white hair that may have come from age or stress. His dress was simple, a black coat with a simple green scarf and undershirt, all in slightly varying colors. His nose precariously held a pair of spectacles just on the tip, making them hardly seem practical.

"I am Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. This, as I'm sure you know, is Glynda Goodwitch. You met a few days ago, correct?" Ozpin asked with a slightly inclined head.

I shrugged. "Correct."

He smiled slightly. "Splendid." He turned his attention then to the hulking man on his right. "And this is General James Ironwood of Atlas."

The General regarded me with disgust, though didn't say anything.

I shot him a lazy two finger salute. "James, good to meet ya'."

He looked as though he were about to shout at me, though Ozpin raised a hand again, dismissing his anger. Ozpin then looked directly into my eyes, rather, into The Virtuoso's. It was unsettling – a visage that would terrify and discomfort even criminals, and he seems completely unphased. "Now, unless I'm mistaken, you have something you would like to share with us?"

I took a deep breath. _Alright, Jaune. Moment of truth._ I nodded. "Yes, I believe this is something you may find incredibly interesting."

"On with it. I don't want to be here all night." The General commanded.

I gestured back to the elevator. "Then by all means, please leave. Nobody commanded you to be here."

He glared at me, though didn't say anything. "Right, now, before I begin, would everyone please use your meaningless questions and commentary now?"

This time it was Glynda who spoke up. "Your message claimed this was important, and rather urgent. I would appreciate it if we got to the point now."

I hummed, nodding my head. "On with the show." I said with a grin behind the mask.

"First, I shall open with a question. Does the name Cinder Fall have any meaning to anyone here?" I asked, surveying the group of people. Ironwood frowned, though shook his head. Ozpin showed no outward reaction at all, while Glynda also shook her head.

"I see. Well, that woman, Cinder Fall, is an incredibly dangerous terrorist. She appears to be hell bent on destroying all of Vale."

"And how would you know this?" Ironwood asked, rocking back on his heels.

"Because I work for her." I responded calmly – though I suspect much of that is thanks to the voice changer in the mask.

"Then why come to us?" Glynda asked. "If you work for her, why rat your boss out?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Please, all questions and color commentary at the end."

Glynda and Ironwood looked about ready to kill me themselves, though Ozpin raised one hand. "Do as he asks – I'm sure he will answer your questions in time."

I nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster. As I was saying, I work for this woman, though not of my own free will. She has my mentor and I locked into working with her, simply by hanging the threat of death over us. We are the ones responsible for the Dust shortages that Vale has been experiencing recently."

I paused for a brief moment. "All that Dust we have stolen has been taken to Mountain Glenn, where this woman plans to use it to breach the city. Once that has been done, and untold hundreds have been killed, she will unleash a torrent of Grimm, as well." I took a moment to survey each of the people present.

Ozpin was still a mystery, emotionless and quietly studying me. Ironwood was looking to Ozpin with this look that seems to scream 'I told you so.' While Glynda simply looks concerned.

"This, understandably, does not sit well with myself, nor my mentor. Without a city, we've nobody to steal from, and without that, we're nobodies." I leaned back more in my seat, resting my hands behind my head. "So, that said, I believe it's in my best interest that she be stopped, same as yours." I smiled slightly now. "I'll be taking questions from the class, now."

"What guarantee do we have that you're not lying to us?" Ironwood asked.

I shrugged. "You have none. Though, I would say to think about it. Why would I lie? I am as vested in the wellbeing of Vale as you are, James. Why should we trust you're not going to attempt a hostile military coup like you did in your homeland?"

"Because I am no liar. I've no interest in conquesting Vale."

I nodded. "See, that is something a liar _would_ say, especially to keep themselves hidden. Just as we have your word that you've no interest in conquering Vale, you have mine that I am not lying here."

He snarled. "I am trustworthy, and have been proven as such. You are a wanted criminal."

I grinned. "As are you, James. I do believe that inciting a revolution and killing your countrymen is classified as manslaughter, or murder with a nice side of treason. Then, of course, there's the Faunus issue in Atlas. Take your pick, really."

He looked like he was about to respond, though Glynda cut him off. "Gentlemen. That is enough." She said, leveling a glare at both of us that I'm sure I wasn't alone in feeling part of me shrivel up and yelp loudly in fear. She leveled her attention on me. "Assuming that you are telling the truth here, when should we be expecting this to happen? Or better yet, where are the operations based?"

I shrugged. "That's beyond my paygrade. I only know what I do thanks to some digging around and insider information."

Ozpin then inclined his head. "If that is the case, what do you propose we do about this?"

I hummed quietly for a moment as I thought. "I would say, nothing. Prepare – be ready to evacuate civilians and deploy defenses to push back the Grimm."

Ironwood snarled again. "If you would have us do nothing, then why warn us?"

I inclined my head. "Because, General, it eliminates the surprise. You of all people should know that, without the power of surprise, calmer heads prevail, and damage is more efficiently negated."

Ironwood didn't respond, only maintaining his glare.

"I see. So, Mr. Virtuo - "Ozpin was cut off as an alarm began to ring in his office. "Well, isn't that odd." He commented calmly.

"That would be an alert of a breach at the CCT." Winter said from across the room.

Ironwood rounded on me. "So, that's your plan. Gather all of us into one spot while one of your allies tampers with the CCT."

I tilted my head slightly, not moving from my relaxed position. "Please, if there is something more pressing, go tend to it. I'm not going anywhere."

"Glynda, James, take Winter with you to see what that ruckus is about." Ozpin commanded.

"Keep both eyes on him – he's craftier than he looks." Winter commented as the elevator doors slid closed, leaving me alone with Ozpin and Qrow.

Ozpin smiled slightly. "Now that the bystanders have gone, why don't we have a proper conversation. What do you say, Mr. Arc?"

I stumbled slightly, my feet slipping from his desk, sending me toppling backwards. _He knows. How? Wait…_ I pulled myself up and glared at Qrow. "You bastard." I growled out.

Qrow shook his head. "Not me, kid."

"He's not lying, Mr. Arc. I know who you are of my own independent inquiries. Though, I must say. You have done exceptionally well hiding your identity with the mask and voice changer, as well as the remodeled Crocea Mors." He smiled warmly at me as I righted the chair and sat back down, teeth clenched.

"Why? You've been watching me. Why?" I demanded. _This. This is who Qrow was warning me about, but where were the signs? What was I to piece together?_

"Please remove the mask, Jaune. It's only polite." Ozpin intoned lightly.

I glanced back to the elevator.

Ozpin just waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about them. You'll have plenty of warning before they come back."

I glanced over to Qrow then who only nodded. It was only then that, however reluctantly, I pulled off The Virtuoso, setting it down in my lap. "There. Happy now?"

Ozpin smiled once again. "Quite. Thank you." He hummed for a moment, taking a sip of his coffee. "Now, you asked me why I have been watching you. Quite frankly, out of curiosity. The one applicant out of the bunch who had no qualifications – no test scores, no previous training or experience, no Aura unlocked. We see those every so often, and I take it upon myself to ensure they at least are able to return home safely."

I narrowed my eyes at that.

"You, however, took a different route. You didn't return home – you didn't want to. You struggled until help found you." He smiled slightly at that. "Help known as Roman Torchwick. I won't bore you with the details I know about your exploits, but I must say it's interesting to see how much you've grown since then. It's not every day you find a seventeen-year-old with no real Huntsman training who's able to outmaneuver a professional Huntsman, let alone two well over twice his age."

"You got a point coming?" I asked, feeling far too vulnerable without The Virtuoso to cover my identity.

"I do. You, Jaune, are exceptional. Quick witted, combat capable, and quite the analyst if you're able to best Winter like that. It seems almost as though your growth is exponential." He paused for a brief moment. "Tell me, have you unlocked your Semblance yet?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

Ozpin nodded, glancing over to one of his computer monitors. "I see. It appears that our company is returning. You may don the mask again, if you are so inclined."

I didn't hesitate and took to refastening the mask.

"I am interested in you, Mr. Arc. Should you ever tire of a life of crime, seek me out. I'm sure I could make some arrangements for you." He said with his warm smile that, somehow, didn't feel quite right. It wasn't natural, almost like there was more behind it that I was missing.

The elevator doors opened a few moments later, and I rose from my seat. "You've much to discuss. I shall take my leave." I said, thankful that the voice changer hadn't turned off when I removed the mask.

Ironwood didn't say anything as he strode past me to Ozpin. Glynda only spared me a glance, while Winter glared so hard, I was sure she'd pop her eye out.

Qrow led me out, and back through the maze of hallways in silence, all the way till we got to the Bullhead.

"You know, kid. It's not a bad offer that Oz made you. He'll erase your criminal history, and you'll be a new, free man." He said, taking a swig from his flask.

I nodded. "You're right, Qrow. It's not a bad offer."

Qrow inclined his head slightly. "Gonna take it?"

"I won't. I've got things here that I can't replace." I said, a faint smile crossing my lips.

Qrow sighed and clapped me on the shoulder. "Right, well, I'll see you 'round then, kid." He turned to start walking off.

I paused for a moment, watching him leave. "Say, Qrow?" He looked back over his shoulder at me. "Do you trust me?"

He thought for a moment and nodded. "More than I probably should." He turned and threw a lazy wave over his shoulder as he walked back into Beacon.

* * *

**And done.**

**You know what I hate? My sleep schedule. It's currently 06:30, and I started writing this at 01:00, when I was supposed to be going to sleep. But the power of insomnia works in mysterious and cruel ways. So because of that, this chapter might make some sense, it might make none. I don't know, sleep deprived me has read it over a couple times and gone 'yeah, that looks good.'**

**And Reviews!**

**Luine Mercury - Skill, luck. Bah, who cares. According to Qrow, "Luck is a skill of its own." So either way, it's skill. Mountain Glenn will be great fun, especially with the team that shows up. We've had a bit of Silent Knight fluff, but I'm not gonna keep inundating you guys with it, because eventually it gets old, and that's not the goal.**

**Engineer - Oh god, Jaune v Goodwitch would've ended SO much worse than Jaune v Jason. Jaune's crafty, but not crafty enough to get around of Goodwitch's OP semblance solo. Jason really kinda just got super screwed that whole fight. Any sense of dignity he had is probably gone knowing that his son has surpassed him. Roman didn't not do it on purpose, so take that as you will. That backstory has been sitting in my back pocket for ages, and when I get questions I'm sitting here like "Soon™. You'll find out a lot soon."**

**Greer - Hey, that's great to hear. I was looking at it while half asleep, like I am with this chapter too, and was like 'Yeah, that'll do. It looks good to me. Sorta.' That is a good question, why let one of Jaune's sisters become a Huntress but not Jaune. Hmm. More to come. Soon™.**

**Valerious Lake - Again, Jaune never saw the bodies, so I'm keeping it quiet. And trust me, my man. I get that other character perspectives would be interesting, but that's just not how this story was laid out / planned. We do get to see a lot of Winter's salt after the loss to him this chapter, though.**

**OzJaune - *cough* Jaune meeting Ozzy? No idea what you're talking about. *Innocent whistling***

**Jim - I had a great vacation, always nice to go see family that I haven't seen in a decade or so. You're right, it is kinda thin, but Roman wasn't trying for a load of detail. If I had wanted super detailed stuff, I'd probably have done a little flashback and called it Roman's story telling. There is more to Roman's story and detail that's been planned out just not in that little monologue that Roman gave us.**

**Another Stalker - Glad you enjoyed my friend. Feels nice to be back writing again.**

**Imperial Germany - Jason knows. But hasn't said anything. Hmm.**

**X3 - People aren't stagnant. They learn and adapt and that was a big thing for Jaune when I outlined this story originally. He was gonna grow and change in fighting style, ability, thinking, personality, and gear. Just to mention a few. Corruption is freaking everywhere, and I hate it. It annoys me somewhat when in books and fiction in general you see the generic good and bad. There's not so often shades of gray that are actually gray rather than white with like a pinch of black. Ozpin being part of the mines - who knows. It's possible.**

**Typhonyx - All I will say is this: Mountain Glenn is coming. Jaune v Beacon students coming to a fic near you Soon™.**

**Darkness Writhes - Hey, man. Glad you're enjoying what I've got. I love doing this because of the feedback and reviews I get, not to mention I get to hone my writing skills.**

**AzraelSaint - Mountain Glenn is just a really convenient spot for shit to go south really quick and give characters motivation. So, not gonna lie, I'm partial to Helljumper myself. But that's because I'm one of the world's biggest Halo fans. I know that not everyone likes Halo, but even for the people who don't it'll be enjoyable. It's more RWBY than Halo.**

**Dragon Lord Draco - Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Only time will tell. Jaune is an analyst, strategist, and cautious. Things I learned from playing Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 throughout my teenage years, and so I thought that I'd give Jaune a bit of background in that as well.**

**Blue Barn Owl - You know what, you right. 100% right. That would've been better, but sleepy me didn't think about it and just went with both going execution. Oh well, live and learn.**

**And that is all our reviews. Noice.**

**So, I'm gonna be honest here, I was kinda thinking I'd get backlash for last chapter considering that Jaune won kinda handily against his dad, but I can say I'm pleasantly surprised that you enjoyed that and think it was well earned like I did.**

**Again, gonna signal boost the poll on my profile - it's only visible on desktop mode for the website I think, but if you're interested / want to have a say in which story I publish next of the two I've got on my profile, just drop a vote.**

**Speaking of those other stories, I'll probably give a prologue to both sometime in the near future and post those for y'all to check out.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, July 29th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Ugh, Monday. At least there's another Chapter of Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 27]

For the second time in just as many days, I was nervous beyond belief.

I could hardly breathe – my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest, and I was sweating like I had just finished a hard fight.

I gripped the hilt of Crocea Mors so tightly that my knuckles went white.

I found myself approaching an all too familiar destination.

Cinder's hideout.

I pushed past the White Fang, thankful for The Virtuoso mask to keep my emotions from openly showing through to the grunts. Almost all of them parted without a second thought to let me pass. Some nodded in my direction: a show of respect.

_God, Jaune. What did you expect? You go behind her back to one of the most powerful men in the city to reveal her plan. You knew she was watching – you knew she was waiting for just one tiny fucking misstep, and she'd incinerate you on the spot. Yet you, in your infinite wisdom, went ahead anyway._ I shook my head as I reached the top of the stairs, staring down the short hallway to her office. _Your actions have consequences. I suppose its time I face mine._

I blew out a nervous breath as I came to be standing before the simple door that led to my inevitable doom. I hesitantly knocked twice.

"Enter."

I closed my eyes, swallowing nervously once more before pushing my way into the room.

The first thing that I took note of was the fact that Cinder didn't have either of her lackies with her. She was completely alone, seated behind the desk where Mercury usually was, sipping on a glass of wine as she looked over a few documents in her other hand.

She looked up to me and smiled her saccharine smile. "Ah, Jaune. You're early. Please, take a seat. Would you care for a glass of wine?" She gestured towards the two chairs that sat inert and unused in front of her desk.

I shook my head, slipping into the seat on the right, shifting uncomfortably as I pulled off my mask. A mask which gave me confidence and security. Maybe it was the anonymity that came with it, maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, I had started to find some sort of comfort in that twisted smile it was adorned with. "You asked to speak with me?"

She nodded, pouring another glass of wine for me despite my not wanting one. "Indeed." She set the now full glass of blood red wine down in front of me. "It was brought to my attention that you met with one Beacon Headmaster, Ozpin, late last night. I am curious – why?"

I eyed the glass of wine sat before me warily. "If that's the case, you also know about my connection to Qrow Branwen." She inclined her head in agreement, allowing me to continue. "The man is a professional Huntsman. One who's claimed that he's got interest in me thanks to my story and the path I've taken."

I shook my head, leaning back slightly in the seat. "He's trying to use me as an informant on Roman. Find out his plans, his movements, his safe houses. That sort of deal." I paused for a brief moment. "He claims to be my friend – I don't buy it. I started probing, and with some careful questions, I found his boss."

Cinder nodded. "Ozpin, correct?"

"Yes. After I proved to Qrow what I knew, he suggested I come and meet his boss – thus my little performance last night."

Cinder sipped on her wine as she eyed me thoughtfully. Truthfully, I'm surprised I haven't been incinerated yet. "I see. And what did you discuss while you were there?"

I fidgeted slightly in my seat, closing my eyes and letting out a slow breath. "Ozpin had a proposition for me. He has been watching me since I joined on with Roman. He knew that The Virtuoso," I said, holding up the mask briefly, "was actually me. His offer was that if I ever wanted out of a life of crime, that I just had to go to him. What all that entailed, I didn't ask."

She tilted her head slightly. "So, you claim it was this Branwen character that invited you to meet his boss. Why did you agree?"

I pursed my lips. "I agreed because the more I know, the more I can plan for. If Qrow was a simple freelance Huntsman, he'd be easy to deal with. Simple as sending Neo after him, or handling it myself. Now, though, I know what he's got backing him. I know more what I'm up against."

"And what are you up against?"

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the glass of wine sat untouched and stagnant in the glass. "Someone beyond my paygrade. He knows more than he has any right to, and has allies in high places." Cinder smiled slightly, nodding for me to continue. "Namely, one General James Ironwood. I assume he came to Ozpin, hoping that the Headmaster would have a lead on his stolen Paladins."

She set her glass down and leaned forward in her chair, resting her chin on an open palm. "Very interesting. Very interesting, indeed. Is your disguise compromised?"

I nodded. "The Headmaster, and Qrow both know, along with my father. Despite that, my name hasn't been released, nor has my description. The former two might think its an advantage that I remain anonymous."

"And your father?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I have yet to be able to track him down."

Cinder nodded. "I see."

She pushed herself up from her seat, stretching her arms high above her head. "You have done exceptionally well, Jaune. While you have not revealed anything I did not already know, you have proven to be quite capable." She flashed me her sugary sweet smile. "Beyond that, you allowed my operatives an easy window to complete a task I set for them."

My mind instantly locked down on the alarm that went off in Ozpin's office. _That was Cinder. Winter said it was relating to the CCT, which Ironwood assumed was part of my plan. He, apparently, wasn't wrong. Her operatives… She's got someone on the inside. A student? A team, maybe?_

She locked her almost flaming gaze with my own and smiled again, though this one almost seemed to hold an unspoken threat. "I expect you to perform at Mountain Glenn. I'm told it's a sight to behold."

I swallowed nervously and nodded. "Right, I'll do my best." I said, finding some solace as I strapped my mask back to my face.

She didn't say anything more, and I assumed that was my cue to leave. The last thing I saw as I turned to leave that office was my glass of wine. Tipped over and dribbling down the side of the desk, slowly pooling where my feet had been not but a moment before.

[-/-]

"You're a fucking dumbass." Roman growled out, pacing back and forth through the living room.

I was sat at the dining room table, arms crossed. I had just finished running him through what all had happened – my meeting with Ozpin, as well as my meeting with Cinder. Even if I hadn't sat down to talk to him, he'd have found out anyway. It was only a matter of time before the stories started breaking of the infamous Virtuoso making a visit to Beacon Academy.

Neo was sat on the couch herself, frowning as she stared down at the coffee table in thought.

"Do you know who you're dealing with? Do you have any fucking clue?" Roman asked, continuing on before I had any chance to respond. "Not only have you gone and crawled into bed with Ozpin, the fucking cheat and liar, but you then turned around and lied right to Cinder's face about it."

He laughed, almost sounding like he was going to snap. "You might think you've pulled one over on her, but she knows. She fucking knows, Jaune. She's just going to keep you stumbling around in the dark until you either know too much, or she's done with you."

"What should I have done, then?" I shot back.

Roman threw his hands up into the air. "Shit, I don't know. Maybe talk to me _before_ you do something like this? Talk to Neo? Junior? Fucking anyone?"

I ground my teeth together. "And what would you have done, Roman? Would you sit idly by while you help that psychopath kill thousands of innocents in your home?"

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "No, I wouldn't. I couldn't do that – not again." He shook his head. "Shit, kid. I'm not pissed because you did something, I'm pissed because you've basically signed your name on the dotted line for a free incineration."

"Would you rather to have signed your name with me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it could've been avoided completely – maybe we could've kept it in the dark a while longer."

I shook my head. "I doubt it. Not if we wanted to do something about the mission in Mountain Glenn. We needed allies, and while not ideal, I've made us some. Even if they turn on us after, they'll have made it ten times easier."

"So, what is the plan? How're Ozpin and his posse going to help us with this situation? Having them storm Mountain Glenn before we even do the breach?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I don't know where to send them first of all, and second, Cinder would know before they even left. She's got operatives inside Beacon, and they'd alert her that something was wrong." I paused for a moment, tossing back a solid swig of vodka from the bottle. "No, the breach is still happening."

Roman furrowed his brows at that statement. "What? Then how's this all going to work?"

"See, the breach works because of the element of surprise. Think about it: explosions all across the city with an army of Grimm pouring from each one. The VPD and Huntsmen alike would be overwhelmed with calls and orders to be everywhere at once from a panicking council." I said, setting the bottle down and leaning back in my seat slightly. "Take that away, and cooler heads prevail. Ozpin and Ironwood both can assess the situation and send reinforcements as needed to the more violent of the outbreaks. It's not perfect, and people will still die, but it's better than the alternative."

Calmer now, Roman pulled out a cigar and his lighter, puffing a few times on it once it had taken to burning. "Not perfect is an understatement. It's a long shot, and only marginally prepares them. Not like they can start evacuation – that'd start all kinds of alarm bells for Cinder and it'd all be off. Nor can they just pinpoint where the explosions will happen and station a couple teams of Huntsmen. There's still transport and response time to worry about."

I nodded, rocking back in my seat. "Yeah, that's about right."

Roman blew a puff of smoke out his nose. "Then there's the issue that one of us is getting captured once this is all said and done."

I nodded. "Then there's that." I looked over to him, finding that he had stopped pacing completely and was now leaning back against a wall. "It should be me. You're more valuable out here – you can organize more and have more influence than I do."

Roman shook his head. "Not a chance. I'm the one going in."

"But Roman– "

"No, kid, think about it." He said, waving a hand wide. "I might be the best thief in all of Vale, and I might have that reputation, but you have the same to some extent. You're my apprentice, so you've clearly got my backing. Not to mention you're The Virtuoso. The over night criminal sensation the likes of which Vale hasn't seen since I rose to prominence." He blew another puff of smoke out. "You're the master planner. I'm not bad, but you're on a different level. You've got a knack for it that I just don't."

I frowned, though he continued on. "If anyone is gonna be able to plot that woman's downfall and execute it well, it'll be you."

I shook my head. "Roman, I get that you've got faith in me, but I don't think I can handle it."

He waved a dismissive hand. "You handled planning a massive heist on a military train fine. You handled running that White Fang rally fine, and you handled starting this whole scheme fine. All of that you basically did on your own. You'll be fine."

I pursed my lips, eyeing the bottle of vodka on the table. "I'm scared, Roman." I muttered out quietly.

He just nodded a couple times, looking out the window over the early morning light scattering over the slowly waking city. "You're not alone, kid."

[-/-]

Mountain Glenn.

Back when it was a proper city, I imagine that this place was quite impressive. Buildings that once stood tall and towering up into the sky, a proud show of human achievement, were now nothing more than burnt out husks and rubble. Depressing reminders of the Grimm's seemingly omnipresent stranglehold on the world.

I wasn't ready. Things were progressing, and it wasn't pretty. Cinder's plan still eluded me. _Why? Why is she doing this? Even if she hates Vale, burning an entire kingdom to the ground, or attempting at the least, seems insane. What does she have to gain?_ I shook my head. _It doesn't make sense. I could ask Qrow or Ozpin, but I'm not so stupid to think that I'd get a straight answer out of either of them, even if they did know._

_This doesn't even seem like the end of her plan. She wants either Roman or I captured. Why? If this isn't the end goal, and only a step on the path, what does it accomplish that she absolutely needs? Assuming the Huntsmen and VPD push back the Grimm, there will be thousands of innocents dead. What would us being captured serve to accomplish?_

"Boys and girls, welcome to Mountain Glenn." Roman said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked out the open bay door of the Bullhead once again.

The rubble and burnt out husks of the city hadn't changed, but what had was that there was a massive sort of hangar door in the middle of the street. A hangar door that was open, waiting for us to come in for a landing.

As we descended down into the pit, the doors closed up tight behind us. I could see the all too familiar forms of White Fang grunts running around, hauling crates of what I assumed to be Dust. Others were walking down towards the end of the tunnel with pickaxes and drills in hand. A similar number of grunts were coming back, covered in soot and dirt with piles of stone and rubble in carts.

Once the Bullhead landed, Roman jumped right on out, crashing down onto the smooth stone floor with grace befitting his reputation. Not but a moment later, an all too familiar White Fang grunt came running up. It was Perry.

"Perry, good to see you. What've you got for me?" Roman asked, leaning on his cane slightly.

"We're making good progress. Our engineers are predicting that we'll be through to the other end of the tunnel in about two days' time if we keep working at this pace." The Faunus reported quickly.

Roman waved a hand. "Right, good, good. As for the train, and preparing the explosives?"

Perry nodded, flipping to a different page on his clipboard. "All is going well. We have more than enough Dust, and the majority of the cars have been packed. As have the Paladins – prepped and ready to go, strapped down securely on the train."

Roman nodded. "Well done as always, Perry." He turned to look at Neo and I who had since emerged from the Bullhead. "Now, as for lodging. What've we got?"

"Most of us, other than a few high-ranking members, are sleeping in tents. We've got a couple rooms able to act as your quarters. Only two, though, so you'll have to sort that on your own."

Roman just chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I'm sure the lovebirds back there can figure something out."

Neo stuck her tongue out at Roman while I just rolled my eyes.

Perry simply nodded. "Right. Other than that, there's a few things that require your attention in person."

Roman glanced back at us. "Well, duty calls. You kids enjoy yourselves – get settled in. We'll chat later." He turned back to the Faunus and let him lead the way deeper into the tunnel.

See, there was an issue with our lodging. Perry had said they had rooms. Not where they were.

That led Neo and I to wandering around the compound aimlessly in search of one of two empty rooms that allegedly existed. More than once, either of us had been subject to walking in on something we could've gone without seeing.

Eventually, though, Neo and I found our way to the two damn near adjacent rooms that were empty of anyone, or their personal belongings.

It was pretty bare bones – nothing but a simple queen-sized mattress on the floor and a closet. The light didn't even work.

I chuckled quietly to myself and shook my head. "The height of luxury right here."

Neo jabbed me in the side lightly and stuck her tongue out, flopping down onto the bed. It kicked up a cloud of dust.

Neo started coughing, waving her hand in the air to try and disperse the particles in the air. I couldn't help but to chuckle slightly and shake my head. That earned a glare from the tiny assassin.

I shook my head, tossing the simple backpack I had brought to the corner of the room. "Not even remotely sorry." I said as I came to crouch down at the foot of the bed.

She narrowed her eyes at me for a moment before deciding that it wasn't worth it, flopping back down. This time, it was a much smaller dust cloud, but it was still present.

I chuckled again and crawled forward onto the bed myself, stretching out next to her. I found myself staring up at the ceiling, hands resting behind my head. _From a nobody, to a thug, to a criminal, to a terrorist and traitor._ I closed my eyes, trying to relax. _I dove this deep down – I wanted this. Now, though? Now I'm wrapped up in a terrorist plot to destroy Vale. Now, I'm trying to undo it from the inside out._

I felt as Neo scooted over to me, resting her head on my shoulder and pressing up into my side. "Tell me Neo, are we fucked? Do you think we can do this? Stop Cinder, stop everything?" I asked, looking down at the small girl.

She nestled into my shoulder as she thought for a moment, not looking up at me. When she did, though, she smiled lightly and shook her head.

I blew a puff of air through my nose. "I don't know how you can be so optimistic… Everything – Qrow, Ozpin, whatever the fuck comes next… It's all riding on me. Jaune Arc, the seventeen-year-old runaway and wannabe Huntsman. The laughing stock of the Arc family, and the failure." I laughed bitterly. "The criminal, the protégé to the great Roman Torchwick, The Virtuoso."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "It's funny, you know? Sometimes, I feel like that mask is calling out to me. Like it wants to be worn. I know it's insane, but it's true. When I went to Beacon, it provided me comfort and security. It felt like I wasn't alone."

I shook my head. "God, I'm going insane, aren't I? First, my mask starts talking to me. Next, it'll be the Grimm." Neo nuzzled into me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. I let one hand come to trace her spine up and down. "It feels like everything is riding on me, and I don't think I can do it. I don't want to let everyone down. I'm afraid of what'll happen to us – Roman, Junior, Not-Jerry, everyone. I'm afraid of what'll happen if I fail."

She pressed a gentle kiss to my neck and shook her head, letting one hand trace up and down my chest, even though she was encountering the breastplate and chainmail beneath.

I sighed, trying to relax as best I could. "I know, I'm not alone. I've got all of you. Hell, I might even be able to rely on Qrow if I need to, but it all feels like too much. Too much stress, too much pressure. If I was drowning before, I'm suffocating now, with no escape."

Upon saying that, Neo decided she'd had enough. She shifted, pulling her weight up to be straddling me completely. She leaned down and locked her lips with mine furiously, her fingers getting tangled up in my blonde hair.

It didn't take long before I started to fall into the kiss, content to let the passion and heat behind it sweep me away from the stress and worry, even if only for a little while.

[-/-]

I was startled awake as a loud crashing sound shook the whole compound, clearly not that far away. I shot up in bed, Neo slipping off her spot clinging to my bare chest. "What the fuck?" I wondered out loud.

I didn't have any more time to wonder as the door into the room was thrown open, and a half dressed Roman was eyeing us. "Up and at 'em, lovebirds. We've got a problem that needs handling five minutes ago." He said as he was buttoning up his under shirt, jacket hanging loosely around his shoulders.

I nodded. "Right, I'm moving." I shot a glance to where Neo had been, but she had already gotten up and stripped off her night wear, scrambling around for her usual getup.

I shook my head. _You can watch that kind of show later._ I thought to myself as I heaved out of bed and pulled on my clothes.

All in all, it took Neo and I about five minutes total to get ready for action. Most of that was spent trying to find stray articles of clothing scattered through the room.

I rolled my shoulders back, content in how the chainmail and breastplate hung. I strapped Crocea Mors to my hip and grabbed my mask as Neo and I went running out the door.

It wasn't a long run by any means to the open-air space where we had landed our Bullhead not but a couple hours ago. What we found when we got there, though, was not something I'd expected.

There was rubble from a collapsed bit of road which had taken out the Bullhead. Roman was stood before someone, arms crossed and smoke trailing from his cigar. As Neo and I approached, we started to hear what he was saying.

"… again, blondie. Who else is here?" He didn't exactly sound pleased.

"Fuck you, Torchwick." An all too familiar voice rang out.

I felt my blood run cold. That voice, I knew it. I knew it all too well. After all, she had threatened to take my life more than a few times.

It was too late to protect my identity, as she had seen me. Lilac eyes now gone blood red trained directly on me.

"You. You fucking bastard, I _knew_ you were no good!" Yang shouted as she struggled against the restraints that a Faunus I knew as Banesaw held her in place with.

_Ozpin, I fucking swear. If this blows back on me, I'm hunting you down myself._ I stepped forward, inclining my head. "Fancy meeting you here, Yang. Come here often? Maybe with some friends?"

She snarled and spat in my face. I spared a glance back at Roman who just looked amused. He gestured for me to take over.

"Mmm. I see." I took a step back, resting a hand on Crocea Mors. "You here alone? No, I'd doubt it. Ozpin might be willing to throw his students lives away, but why do it one at a time when he can do it in batches? I suspect your team is here with you? Or at the least your partner?"

Yang snarled once again and spat at me.

I took that opportunity to rush forward at her and deliver a solid punch straight to her nose. "Please, Yang. I'm trying to be diplomatic here. Answer my questions, and this'll be over before you know it." I said with a smile. "Or, you can continue to resist and fight and see where that gets you."

"What're you gonna do, Jaune? Kill me?"

I hummed. "I'd rather not, no. I'll start with breaking your Aura, and we can go from there."

Yang just laughed. "You don't have the guts, you spineless fuck."

I tilted my head. "Have it your way." I unclasped my mask from my belt and donned it. _Even if she doesn't say, it's inevitable that if her team is here, they'll show up._

"Oh, yeah. Put on that mask to hide your face, coward." Yang taunted.

With speed that I had learned from Neo, I drew one of the daggers from behind my back and jammed it down into her right shoulder. While it didn't draw blood, it definitely put a nice hole in her Aura reserves.

"That the best you got? I hit harder than that when I was five." She spat out through gritted teeth.

I glanced back at Roman and Neo. "Put people on watch. I want to know ahead of time if we've got incoming." Roman nodded, as did Neo.

I didn't even turn my attention back to Yang as I drew the other dagger and jammed it into her left shoulder, again not breaking her Aura. "Impressive Aura reserve, Yang." I commented offhandedly.

She was breathing heavily now. "Go… to hell…"

"I'll pass." I said, slamming both blades down at the same time, shattering her Aura after a moment.

Yang cried out in pain, crumpling as her eyes forcibly shifted back from red to lilac. I crouched down next to her, waving Banesaw off as I held both my knives in hand. "So, that's step one complete. Next I'll start letting Neo here have a turn." I shifted my voice to a stage whisper. "She's not nearly as forgiving as I am." I stood back up and sheathed my daggers. "So, I'll ask again. Is your team here with you?"

Yang glared daggers up at me, though before she got a chance to open her mouth, I kicked her in the chest, knocking her back down to the stone floor. "Remember – I'd pick my answer carefully if you like everything attached." Neo was grinning like a loon behind me for added effect.

Yang hesitated for a moment, looking between the soulless grin of The Virtuoso and that of Neo who looked like a kid waiting to tear open Christmas presents. Yang shaped Christmas presents. "They're here. And once they find me, you're all fucked."

I hummed, rocking back on my heels a bit. "I see. Now, was that so hard, Yang?"

She growled. "You'd better just kill me, you bastard. If you don't, your precious identity will be revealed to the public."

I didn't respond, looking back to Banesaw who was waiting patiently. "Find somewhere to chain her up. Once that's done, knock her out."

The hulking Faunus grunted, crouching down to scoop up Yang. "I'll kill you, Jaune! I'll fucking kill you!"

My scroll rang, and I picked up the call from Roman. "What's up?"

_"You made a good call, kid. We've got incoming. Four others incoming. One is an old friend of mine and related to you."_ Roman reported. Funny, he's reporting to me. How'd that happen.

"I see. Pull everyone back. I'll get this train loaded and moving."

_"We're not done yet. We can probably handle them." _Roman pointed out.

"Right, we probably could. We don't know how long they've been out here, or when they're supposed to return. If we take them out and wait, it's possible we'll have more Huntsmen than we _can_ handle dropping down on our heads."

_"Cinder's gonna be pissed."_

"Cinder'll have to fucking deal with it. She left this up to us, and this is my call. Unless you think otherwise?"

_"No, I'll trust your instinct and reasoning. Be back in five, at most."_

I clicked off the scroll and started shouting out. "Alright you band of animals. Who's ready to burn this city to the ground!"

There were cheers from the crowd of Faunus in earshot of me, which gathered more to hear what the ruckus was about.

"Let's show those lazy shits up in the Council that the White Fang isn't to be trifled with! Today, we prove ourselves; not only to Vale, but to all of Remnant!"

The Faunus were now chanting and shouting back in return, hyped and ready.

"Let's get this train ready and moving!" I shouted out, and Faunus all started to scatter, doing the last of the work that needed doing.

Neo took my hand in hers and squeezed tightly. I nodded idly. "Onwards we charge, into the depths of hell."

* * *

**And done.**

**Gonna signal boost the poll again. Go check it out if you're interested in what I publish next.**

**And now, for Reviews.**

**Greer - He is trying to save the common person. He might be a criminal, but he's like Roman. Not completely heartless.**

**Engineer - It is a dangerous game to play, but he kinda doesn't have a choice. He knew that if he went to Roman at least, it'd probably get shot down. Better to ask forgiveness than permission. Exactly, while Oz is powerful and good at what he does, he's not infallible. He can miss small details and important things.**

**Specter - I know what I did. I know why I did it. Jaune isn't dead, at least not yet.**

**Typhonyx - It would make sense. We'll just have to see what happens.**

**Imperial Germany - Ozpin knows. Before it was just speculation, now it's fact. Bad things are coming, and once they hit, they're not gonna slow down.**

**OzJaune - ... He's a psychic. Or a Time Traveler from after our Area 51 raid. He knows.**

**Erwidze - Glad you enjoyed, my friend. This story has been a pleasure to write. See, Jaune didn't know there'd be students everywhere. That's why it was early ass in the morning. Students seeing him wasn't part of the plan, or the deal he made with Qrow. He's wearing the mask so he can try to protect his identity for at least a little while longer. Cinder having operatives inside wouldn't be an unreasonable thought, but you gotta remember that Jaune is good, but not the best. He's still gonna miss things, even obvious things.**

**Gasenator - Glad you think it would've been worth the lost sleep. Coffee. Coffee which may or may not be special blend from Professor Arc. More information is required.**

**Dragon Lord Draco - This is true, he could've negotiated. He didn't. Oh well, live and move on, I suppose.**

**Josh Spicer - Of course Ozzy knows, I mean, it's not like I was basically blatantly saying 'somebody (read Ozpin) is watching.' No, that'd be too obvious. It's clearly Zwei. He's the mastermind behind everything. Well, while Jaune probably would've done well to keep people in the dark, he's not done that. Roman knows, and well, he was and still is a bit pissed even if he'll put it behind him.**

**Azrael Saint - The tension was thick as hell, yeah. Part of that is because I was in a bit of a mood, probably, but also because it was needed. Snark, god the snark. I loved it. All the while I slipped in a few Jhin quotes, and it's just fantastic.**

**Valerious Lake - I don't like Ozpin either. Just in general, really. He's a cool character idea that just wasn't executed well imo. In the story, I don't like him because he's fuckin' spooky. When the kids who got rejected had someone watch them, what I meant is the huntsman basically made sure they went back home alive. **

**And that's all for reviews.**

**God, I'm sorry if this chapter feels awkwardly paced or anything. Maybe it's just me being tired after having helped friends film a short movie over the weekend, or maybe it's the cuts that I put in. It feels kinda off to me, but then again, stuff I haven't felt sure about y'all have loved.**

**So, here's a fun fact. In my Outline, by the time Jaune is at Mountain Glenn, we're only in chapter 18. That Outline has 33 total chapters, which is a number we're closing on and aren't even in the Battle of Beacon / Vale yet. That said, I'm predicting that this story will end somewhere around 42-45 chapters. Maybe, I'm not sure and a lot of this is guesswork on my part.**

**Relating to the poll, I'll probably close it once we've got like four chapters to go in Criminally Good. That's just so I can have some time to re-edit my outline and start writing.**

**Last thing is, no chapter on Friday, or the next Monday. I know, it's kinda out of the blue, but I've got friends from out of state coming out to see me, so I'm gonna be with them. Sorry boys and girls.**

**Next chapter, the battle on the train, and the Breach. It'll be fun times.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, August 9th (Please forgive me, friends.)**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	28. Chapter 28

**And we're back on Friday with more Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 28]

_Ozpin knew we were here. I told him. Is there a chance that he knew something was going on here before? Or is him sending Yang's team, along with my father, a reaction to the information I relayed to him? We agreed that trying to do anything here would be a bad idea – that they should just prepare and respond as quickly as they could._

_Yet, here they are. Why? What's the purpose, other than to potentially screw this whole thing up?_ I shook my head as I continued to pace up and down near to the train. _Is he banking on Cinder being here, and being able to take down three birds all in one go? But if that were his plan, why send students? Why send only one team?_

I glanced up, noting the hulking Banesaw trundling back towards the train, his impassive Grimm faced mask staring into the sadistic and cold gaze of my own. "Where'd you put the girl?"

He just shrugged. "She's tied up. Gagged her after she wouldn't stop shouting. Left her in one of the bunk rooms we were using."

I frowned. Yang was a problem – a big one, now. But, despite that, I didn't have interest in killing her, nor letting the Grimm chew her to death without Aura. "Right. Left her in there, locked the door, and blocked it a bit."

The hulking Faunus man simply nodded.

I shook my head. "Not exactly a secure prison, but it'll hold her until she gets some Aura back." I paused for a moment. "And her weapons?"

Banesaw reached behind his back and pulled out her gauntlets. "She screamed, kicked and fought like a toddler throwing a fit when I took these." He tossed them over towards me.

I fumbled a little bit, though snatched the gauntlets out of the air and flipped them over in my hands, examining the shotgun barrels that protruded from the wrist. "Interesting. And you're sure she's not carrying anything else?"

"Unless she's got a weapon shoved up her prison pocket, she's clean."

I rolled my eyes. "All you had to say was yes."

He simply grunted, inclining his head. "Anything else?"

I looked up from the weapons. "Yes. You're to be with Roman, Neo, and I once we get this train moving. There's a team of Huntsmen inbound, and I suspect meeting them head on with a team of our own will be quite effective."

He nodded. The massive Faunus turned and stalked away without saying another word.

I shifted my gaze back down to the gauntlets in hand. _Melee weapons. More than even my daggers. Simple, easy to conceal when collapsed._ I bit on the inside of my cheek for a moment. I shifted the gauntlets back into their stowed state, finding that they were still somewhat bulky, but left my hands free.

I shrugged, slipping them on. _Not exactly what I'd call stylish, considering I'm in Blue and Gray, but it'll do. Never hurts to have options._

I took a moment, shifting them into proper gauntlets, finding where they should sit on my wrist. _Interesting. No trigger that I can find, so how's it shoot?_

I brought my fists up into a natural defensive stance that Roman had drilled into my head and threw a punch forward.

I was immediately tossed backward, skidding on my rear. _The fuck?_ I pulled myself up to my feet, checking the right gauntlet to see that it was missing a shotgun shell.

I narrowed my eyes. _Alright, so they're kinetic, based on movement, maybe._ I strode forward to the wall of the train car I had thrown a punch at. It looked slightly singed, but no signs of bullet holes. _Explodes on impact. Very interesting._

"I see someone's got themselves a new toy." The familiar voice of Roman called from somewhere behind me. I glanced back, seeing the master thief leaning on his cane slightly, puffing on a cigar with a bemused smile on his lips. "Where'd you find those abominations?"

I shifted them back into the simple arm guards that noted an inactive state. "Pulled 'em off Yang. Shotgun gauntlets that fire with the swing of my fists, apparently."

Roman huffed. "Sounds inefficient to me."

I shrugged. "Agreed, but better I have them than her."

Roman nodded, looking down the train. The last of the cars were starting to be loaded. "You ready, kid?"

I laughed, resting a hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "I have to be. Not like Cinder, or those Huntsmen care if I am or not."

He only hummed in agreement. "Right you are, Jaune."

Behind us, I could hear a crash come in from the ceiling above. I shot a glance over to Roman.

I smiled slightly beneath my mask, finding that I was rushing with both fear and excitement. "And now, the curtain rises."

Roman blew a puff of smoke out through his nose. "That it does."

"Get us moving! We've got company!" I shouted down the train.

I could see as the message got passed on, the Faunus who were carrying crates just dropped them, bolting to make their way onto the train cars. Every last one of which was hoping that this mission, that today, they'd be made heroes of their revolution.

A revolution I was sure wouldn't come to fruition.

The train slowly shook to life, barely starting to pull away from the station. I didn't spare another glance for Roman as I broke into a run, heaving myself up and into the train car. He wasn't far behind me, hooking his way in gracefully with his cane.

"So, what's our plan when it comes to the team coming to stop the train?" Roman asked, rocking back on his heels.

"We meet them head on. A four on four. Keep them away from the front of the train." I explained rather simply.

"Don't mean to be a party pooper, kid, but there's only two of us here."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't say? No, Neo and Banesaw should be making their way to us."

The train was slowly pulling forward, starting to get some vague semblance of speed going.

"Right, and wh – "

On the train car above the two of us, there was a crash of several pairs of feet.

There was hardly a second to react before the hatch that led out onto the roof of the car was opened, and four damning faces dropped down into the cart opposite Roman and I.

I drew Crocea Mors and deployed it into a shield as I eyed our opponents.

First was Ren. Ever stoic and calm, he was wielding a pair of what looked to be pistols that had some slightly curved blades hanging down off the end of the barrel. It looked awful to my eye, and impractical, but what did I know? _He's not wearing any armor, either. Agile, fast. Hit our weak points before we knew what hit us._

Second was Nora. A normally bubbly girl who retained that personality even in combat. She was grinning like a psychopath, a massive two-handed hammer sitting comfortably in her hands. _Their heavy hitter. Probably slow attacks, but they'll hit like fucking trucks._

Third was Pyrrha. In her hands were a shield and spear. She was wearing some nature of leather armor edged in what looked to be bronze, maybe. _Seems impractical. Still, she's got a shield so that's got me thinking she'll be rushing to take my attention so her allies can circle around me._

Last, of course, was my father. Jason looked tired, though focused on his mission. His gaze was hardened into a piercing glare as he leveled his shield and readied his sword. Still, the man was without armor. _Electing to have more free range of movement in exchange for protection. He's relying on his speed being his primary defense rather than armor._

"Surrender now, and come peacefully. You'll have a fair trial once this has been handled." Ren intoned, his voice collected and nearing monotone.

Roman just laughed like a mad man, spitting his cigar out onto the floor. "That's beautiful, pinkie. You think I'll get a fair trial? Me? They'd sooner execute me unilaterally than give me a fair trial."

"Renny, I don't think they're going to make this easy for us." Nora commented.

"They won't." Jason said in return, advancing slightly. "Be on guard, though. They're both highly skilled fighters."

I shot a glance over to Roman briefly who just spun his cane. "You know, Jason, you should tell these kids about your past. I'm sure they'd find it riveting how you helped with the assassination of some Councilmen."

I saw Pyrrha give an inquisitive glance over to my father before focusing on Roman as he took a step forward, commanding their attention away from me. Another moment, and I saw that they all were focused on Roman who was only a couple feet in front of me.

My father growled lowly. "Don't go filling their heads with lies, Roman. You were the one who killed them."

Roman chuckled. "See, that's not how I remember it at all. I remember hunting them, wanting justice for our slain teammates, as well as the innocents."

I pulled the pin on one of the Dust grenades I had strapped to the bandolier, glancing over towards Roman who had stopped about halfway to the team of four.

"I remember it being your idea that we kill them. What was it you said? 'The system failed already, what's to say it'll work this time?'" Roman shrugged. "So, kiddies. How's it feel knowing that you work with a blood thirsty killer?"

"Mr. Arc? Is that… true?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly.

"Of course not! It was – "

"Roman, now!" I shouted as I threw the Gravity Dust grenade I had pulled from my bandolier at their side of the train.

Roman reacted almost instantly, throwing himself back towards me.

The grenade went off, and I could feel as my muscles strained under the newfound weight that they were being forced to burden thanks to increased gravity.

Roman struggled over and helped me forward as the team of four that had come to interrupt our plan were struggling up to their feet.

The two of us struggled out the train door leading to another cart, pulling ourselves in.

Roman stayed outside and bashed the connector from that cart to ours. He came back in, panting slightly. "Well, at least that bought us some time." I commented.

The master thief nodded. "That it did. Come on, we've got to get towards the front before they start releasing the explosives and we're stuck down here."

I nodded, feeling the effects of the Dust starting to wear off. "After you, boss."

The pair of us made our way up, through the train and past all of the explosive carts that we had managed to pack. All things considered; it was impressive that we had gotten as much done as we had. Or rather, that the Fang had.

In truth, knowing that I was going along with what Cinder wanted, it made me sick to my stomach. The idea that I'd be helping her potentially kill thousands of people… It makes my head spin. That this was the best course of action, and our best bet at stopping her.

I looked back over the train, finding that Ren's team was chasing after us, and slowly gaining ground on the still speeding up train.

"Here's how this'll work. Neo, I want you on the guy with a pink streak and daggers. I'm plenty willing to bet that you'll be faster than he is." She nodded. I looked then to Banesaw. "You are going after the girl with a hammer. She'll hit hard, but I suspect you can hit harder." The Faunus grunted in agreement. "Last, Roman. Take the other girl. I'll handle the old man."

Roman nodded. "Going in for round two, kid?"

I nodded, rolling my shoulders back as I spun my blade in hand idly. "Guess I've just gotta know if it was a fluke or not." I said quietly.

"Right, well, you can be a moody teenager later. We've got incoming."

I looked up again, finding that the team of Huntsmen were on the train, just a few carts down from us, eyeing us all carefully. Next to me, I heard as Neo's blade rasped out of its sheath, and as Banesaw started revving up his weapon.

"You know, that was a no-fun dirty trick you played on us earlier!" Nora shouted across the train.

I smirked behind the mask, tapping on the voice changer. "There's more where that came from."

"But that's cheating!" She insisted.

"Welcome to the real world." I shouted back as I broke into a charge, easily leaping over the distance between the attached train cars.

Over my head, rounds from Roman's cane were flying, and I could see as they impacted the shield of Pyrrha.

It wasn't long before I came crashing into my father who met my shield with his, levying his strength to throw me off and send me stumbling back.

He didn't let me breathe for even a second and rushed in, aiming to make an overhead slash down my chest.

I brought my blade up to catch his, though rather than feeling steel against steel, I was sent stumbling back again as he delivered a solid sucker punch to my throat.

I swallowed, growling as I charged forward then, shield out like I planned to try and slam into him. Jason readied his own shield and set his stance wide and steady, making it all but impossible for me to move him, even if I wanted to.

His shield met mine, and he tried to throw me from him again, though I let him move me, sliding down his shield and to his flank. I brought the pommel of Crocea Mors down into the back of his skull. That sent him staggering forward slightly.

I didn't waste the perfect opportunity, closing the gap between us. He spun and brought his blade up just in time to stop me from slashing down his back. I pressed against him with all the strength I could muster and found him buckling slightly.

Rather suddenly, he gave way, letting me slam my sword forward and down, into the metal of the train car roof. Before I had much time to react, he delivered a solid kick to my knee, sending me down to be kneeling.

I, however, wasn't about to let him keep abusing me. He was struggling up to his feet, and I delivered a solid slam from Crocea Mors into his chest.

"Off the car!" Roman shouted, kicking Pyrrha's shield and making her stumble for a brief moment as he ran, hopping over the gap.

I grunted, heaving Crocea Mors out of the metal as I made a run towards the next gap. I leapt over, well aware that all four of the Huntsmen were behind me, chomping at the bit.

What I wasn't expecting, however, was for me to end up facing Ren in combat.

The agile fighter kept a safe distance from me, weapons up as he studied my form.

_Think, Jaune. How can you set him off? The impassive brick, emotionless, wall that is Ren. How do you get on his nerves?_ "You know, your teammate? The blonde bitch, she's still back there."

Ren narrowed his eyes, though didn't say anything.

"She's got no Aura, no weapons, and only a feeble lock protecting her against a swarm of Grimm."

He didn't react physically. "Yang will be fine. She's strong."

He made to start rushing at me, though barely seemed to move in comparison to Neo and Ruby.

I took note as he seemed to wind up for a leap, like he wanted to get over my shield and behind me for a stab in the back.

I charged in return, surprising him somewhat and slamming my shield up into his face. That knocked him back, though he kept his attention leveled on me. I closed the small distance and brought Crocea Mors around, attempting to slash over his chest.

He caught the sword with the blades of his daggers and pulled the trigger on his pistols.

Pistols which were fully automatic. I felt a nice chunk of Aura leave as I absorbed the blow, dancing back. The gunfire stopped, and I charged again, not letting him get the chance to come around me.

Normally, I suspect that Ren is far more capable than this, but with such little room to move, things are far more difficult for a quick and agile fighter.

I slammed my shield into his chest, managing to knock one of his pistols from his hand. I brought Crocea Mors around and cut down, the blade digging into his shoulder. Rather than relenting and letting him recover, I stepped into his guard, delivering a headbutt with the metal visage of The Virtuoso.

Ren was reeling back, though I wouldn't let him get anywhere. I brought my knee up, into his crotch and he grit his teeth, bringing his now free hand around to try and deliver an uppercut to my jaw.

"Again!" Roman shouted, and I knew I had to end this now.

"Places, please." I said with a slight manic grin on my lips.

There was a brief moment of recognition before I shoved him off the train, crashing down onto the rails.

I didn't bother to watch and see if he was alive or not. Without a second thought I turned and charged as fast as I could, throwing myself over the gap, just barely landing on the train car with my allies, and the three remaining Huntsmen.

I found myself behind the other three opponents who were all locked into combat with differing people.

Without hesitation, I charged at Jason, bringing Crocea Mors down in a slash over his back, cutting deep into his Aura.

I was then met with a force that didn't feel completely natural as I was pulled towards Pyrrha.

I twisted as best I could, managing to bring my shield around to block her waiting sword slash.

This didn't phase her as whatever force it was acting on me relented, making me stumble slightly. The girl turned her attention back to Roman, bashing her shield up to try and open his guard.

Roman dodged back, and while that happened, I made to slash at her back. I felt as my sword was practically locked in place where I was trying to swing it.

The girl smirked and spun to me, bashing my face with her shield, making me stumble backwards. I just barely managed to bring up my shield to block the stab that was following up from her spear.

I heard Crocea Mors clatter to the ground on the train car, though couldn't see it as she was all I could focus on.

She didn't relent whatsoever, unleashing a flurry of blows that I couldn't even follow completely. Most of which crashed into my shield, though I felt her land a few solid blows on my Aura as well. _This girl is on a whole different level. She's able to move me forcibly, and hold Crocea Mors in air._

I dove to the side, barely avoiding one of her slashes with the barbed spear. She turned her attention back to Roman who had just landed a decent shot on her shoulder. _Telekinesis? As a semblance? No, that couldn't be it. If it were, she could've stopped the car completely._

I charged at her back once again, and felt as my shield acted basically like an immovable object, stopping me in my tracks too. I slipped my hand out from the strap that held it to my forearm. My hands went back to my daggers, drawing those two blades.

Once again, I rushed her, closing the distance completely. I heard my shield clatter to the ground uselessly. I delivered a solid blow to her mid back with one of the blades, the other being ripped from my grasp completely.

Pyrrha was sweating profusely now, looking out of breath at having to handle two opponents like this.

"I'll only say this once. Your partner and leader are back there. A swarm of Grimm are coming."

Her eyes went wide, and she seemed to freeze up, not knowing what to do.

"If you don't want them to die, I'd recommend you go get them."

She looked conflicted, shooting her gaze between Nora and my father, then back to myself. "Why are you letting me go?"

I gestured my head over towards Banesaw who looked like he was flagging against Nora. Roman nodded and rushed to help our compatriot. "The world is cruel. It doesn't have to be ugly. Go, save your teammates."

She blinked a few times, staring into the dark depths of The Virtuoso's soulless eyes.

I decided that was enough, and rather than letting her chose, I released the remaining blade, and slammed my shoulder into her unready form, sending her toppling over the side of the train.

"Move it, boys!" Roman shouted again.

I shuffled back briefly, grabbing my shield. I then rushed forward, not concerned with the knives. I swept up Crocea Mors in my hand and leapt over the distance between our car and the one that Roman was on, only just making it thanks to his cane being extended.

I was breathing heavily, though noted that sounds of combat had abated. "Are we in the clear?" I asked, not seeing the other two combatants.

Roman nodded. "We are. They went back for their friends that you took care of." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Which is a job well done, by the way."

I swallowed, still trying to catch my breath. "So, now what?"

"Now, we wait. If I'm right, it's about ten minutes to the center of Vale."

I sheathed Crocea Mors, unhappy with the loss of my two daggers, but it was better than losing the sword again.

I looked back at the tunnel that we were rushing through. "You think we just killed those Huntsmen?"

Roman lit up a fresh cigar and shrugged, gesturing for me to follow him. "If Cinder's plans haven't changed since I was let in the loop, they're going to have quite the Grimm problem to deal with here when we crash into the center of Vale."

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"All those cars – their explosive triggers are all bound to the train itself. Once we crash into the wall – they're all going up in smoke. At that point, Grimm will have packed the tunnel and will come flooding out, into the streets of Vale."

I grimaced behind the mask. "Think they'll be able to stop it?"

Roman hummed for a brief moment, blowing smoke through his nose. "Maybe."

I glanced back as another cart was released. "And if they can't?"

Roman pursed his lips. "I don't know. We'll figure it out."

Banesaw had stayed back to help release carts, leaving it with just Neo, Roman, and I all walking on the roofs of train cars packed with assorted Dust explosives.

Neo came up to me, interlacing her fingers with mine, squeezing tightly once again.

I blew out a breath. "You gonna be alright in there, Roman?"

He just shrugged. "I've been in the Council's prisons before."

"Not exactly an inspiring answer."

"I'll manage, kid. All I've got to do is sit back and wait until you two show up and break me out." He glanced back and offered a grin. "I've got faith."

I huffed. "At least one of us does."

Neo bumped her hip into mine, and I could only roll my eyes. "Alright, two of us." I sighed, glancing back as the second to last cart was released. "Just feels like everything is riding on me succeeding, and I'm not sure I can keep it together."

Roman hummed, turning and resting a hand on my shoulder. "It is riding on you, Jaune. My life, yours, Neo's, Junior's, the people of Vale. It's all riding on you. But you know what? There's nobody better for the job." He blew out another puff of smoke as the last car was released.

"The cards have been dealt, and the chips are down. You're the one holding the cards. We can only hope you play 'em right." Roman turned his attention down the tunnel. "I think we've got about a minute before shit goes haywire. Remember, keep your head down, stick to Neo, and get the fuck out. Cinder's lackies will capture me, and we'll be fine."

I nodded. "Right." I glanced up to who was basically the only real father figure I had. "Good luck, Roman."

He smiled. "You too, kid."

The train slammed into the wall, and everything went black.

[-/-]

I was being shaken awake.

My head was pounding, and everything hurt like I'd just had the roughest spar of my life.

I groaned, shifting each of my appendages slowly. Nothing hurt _too_ badly. I still had some Aura left at least.

I opened my eyes, seeing Neo was crouched over me, shaking me still.

I groaned, trying to pull myself up now. Everything definitely hurt like hell, but I was alive and in one piece.

Above us, sunlight filtered in through dust particles created by the crash. My hearing slowly started to fade in, and I could hear the sounds of Bullheads, gunfire, and general combat.

_The Breach._

I blinked slowly, trying to focus on Neo who was gently slapping my face to try and get me to focus.

"I'm good, I'm good…" I rasped out, coughing more than a few times.

I felt for my grenades, finding that they were all still in place and accounted for, other than the Gravity one I'd used. Next was Crocea Mors which was hanging at my side still, where it belonged.

I pulled myself up to my feet with some difficulty, finding that the world was spinning like I was piss drunk.

I felt the urge to vomit, though somewhere in my head I knew that would be a bad idea considering I was wearing a mask.

I swallowed back that urge and stumbled forward.

Neo was at my side, helping me up, out of the breach in the middle of Vale.

Slowly, I started regaining my faculties, and I didn't need her to help me up.

As we crested over the top of the Breach, I found that we were in the middle of an open square area.

I looked around, noting that many Faunus were injured, though still shooting over what cover they had gained before the Atlas Military showed up.

There were white soldier bots, clearly a more advanced model than what we saw on the train, all around, firing down into a swarm of White Fang.

Around us, some of the Paladins were already out of commission. Farther up the street, it looked like there were four Paladins, along with Banesaw, Roman, and several other White Fang engaging in combat with more Huntsmen.

After another moment, I took note that Roman was fighting Emerald, though that Mercury was nowhere to be seen.

Neo and I stumbled forward and out, away from the Breach. It didn't seem that the combat bots were identifying is as hostiles. Maybe because we weren't White Fang, or maybe because we didn't have our weapons drawn. It was almost impossible to tell.

Neo and I quietly slipped away from the primary fighting, finding that some of the White Fang had come out this far, though were all either dead or unconscious.

_It looks like we're in the clear… Easier than I expected._

"Finally, I was wondering when you two would show up." An unfamiliar male voice called out, appearing out from around a corner.

I narrowed my eyes, recognizing the face now. "Mercury."

"Oh ho! You know my name, oh great Virtuoso. I'm honored." He said with enough sarcasm to choke Roman and I both.

"What do you want?"

"Well, to start with, I'll say a load of booze. Second, I'll take your girl, and then third, you. Preferably unconscious." He said with a toothy grin.

Neo snarled at him.

That only made him laugh. "Oh, feisty. Tell me, who's the dominant?"

I growled lowly. "Why do you want me unconscious, exactly?"

He shrugged. "Change of plans. You're the one Cinder wants arrested. I'm here to make sure you end up with cuffs on."

I rested a hand on the hilt of my sword. "And if I decline?"

He grinned wide again. "Then you can put on a show for me."

I ripped Crocea Mors from its sheath, diving out of the way of his first aerial kick.

_He's quick, and uses his feet as weapons. What's the plan? I'm at well under a quarter Aura if I had to guess._

I deployed my shield and readied myself for his next attack. "So, if you're taking me in, what about Roman?"

"Oh, that cocky old shit? I dunno, but Emerald might kill him." He taunted, rushing forward again.

This time, I wasn't nearly fast enough to get out of the way of his kick, taking the blow that hurt like all hell, straight to my ribs.

I groaned, though slashed out at him.

He danced back easily. "Oh, gonna fight back now? Good – here I was starting to think you were just going to sit and take it."

I growled lowly and charged him, hoping to slam my shield into him and knock him off balance.

The blow never landed, and he did an over-indulgent backflip out of the way. "Come on. I thought I was fighting The Virtuoso, not some cheap knockoff?"

I charged again, managing to close the gap. I made for a shield bash, and he flipped himself over me once again. As soon as I saw that start, I pivoted, slashing at his knees.

The fabric tore and revealed plain gunmetal gray.

"Oh, a swing and a miss. Not a bad try, though." He taunted once again.

Neo came rushing up behind him, stabbing her sword straight into his lower back.

He hardly even flinched and spun, letting the blade drag along his skin, delivering a swift kick to the side of Neo's head, sending her flying, crashing into the concrete.

"Neo!"

Mercury just shook his head. "Shame, but she's still breathing. I think."

I charged again, not thinking clearly. I tried for a slash at his torso, though he danced around my blade with ease, ending up behind me. He delivered a solid blow to my lower back, sending me flying forward, face first into the concrete.

Somewhere along that drag, I had lost my mask.

I groaned, struggling to pull myself up. I turned to look at him, casually walking over. "Come on, get up. We're not done yet." He called out.

I heaved up to my feet, and readied my sword and shield. My head was swimming, and I couldn't think straight. All I knew was that I needed to show this asshole his place.

He came rushing at me, and I did my best to block it. Rather than that happening, he used my shield as a sort of springboard, vaulting over me, and slamming his metal boot into the side of my head, sending me down onto the ground.

My Aura was gone, nothing left. _Is this really how it all ends? At the hands of some prick with metal legs?_

Mercury came to crouch down next to me. "Well, that was disappointing. Here I had been told that you were more impressive. Perhaps Cinder has wildly overestimated you."

I spat in his face, the taste of blood overwhelming my senses.

He just chuckled. "Oh, got a little bit of fight left in you, eh? Well, let's see it. I'll stand here while you give me the best shot you can." He said, coming to stand again. He held his arms out wide. "Come on, show me what you got."

I groaned and started to try and pull myself up to my feet, getting as far as my knees.

"That's it, come on. Show me all that fighting spirit you've got in you. Show me all that strength I was told about." He taunted again.

"Since you asked so nicely." The gravelly voice of Qrow said from behind Mercury.

The unsuspecting boy tried to turn and raise his guard, but Qrow was too quick.

In one swift motion, he had ripped the feet out from under Mercury, sending him down into the concrete. Before the boy even had a chance to breathe, Qrow slammed his heel down on the back of the boy's neck, crushing it between his heel and the curb he had fallen on.

"Where's all your shit talk now, little man?" The older huntsman taunted.

Mercury just tried to gasp for air, struggling impossibly against Qrow who was choking him out.

"Sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you." He paused for a moment. "Oh, cats got your tongue? A shame."

He remained that way until the boy stopped struggling and then released him. He glanced over to me. "Well, I'd say you look like shit, but I'm sure you know that."

I winced, nodding slightly. "Thanks… for the save."

Qrow walked over and picked up the fallen and now horribly scuffed and slightly cut Virtuoso. "I think you'll be wanting this before long."

I nodded, taking it back from him, clasping it where it belongs.

"By the way, you owe me. Big time." He said with a slight smirk.

I shook my head. "I'll buy you a couple rounds, alright?"

"Damn straight. Now scram, before people who want you arrested show up."

It was a struggle. Everything hurt like all hell, and I had to carry Neo. From here, I went to the only place I could think of.

Junior's.

By the time I was within eyeshot of the place, goons were rushing in. And after a few moments, there were a few more rushing out.

They were quick to take care of us. Neo was still out cold, but I was given some rather nice high-end pain meds that they had 'repossessed' from a local pharmacy in exchange for protection.

"So, I take it things went well?" Junior asked as he came to sit down at the booth across from me. He slid a glass my way and poured a hefty amount of whiskey into it.

I took it thankfully. "Er, yeah. Sorta." I took a long drink from the glass, only partially aware that narcotics and liquor was a bad idea. "So, how bad was it?"

He hummed. "All over the city. Grimm came pouring out shortly after the explosions went off, and then your lot came out of central. We all thought this was the end times." He downed half his glass. "I sent a whole host of my boys to help with the defense." He shrugged. "Still, it was bad. Things really turned around though, when Atlas showed up with their warships and robots. After that, things became more manageable."

I nodded. "Any idea on casualties?"

He shook his head. "Not that's been reported. But my opinion? We're looking at a few thousand between the Grimm, White Fang, and the explosions."

I felt a significant weight settle in the pit of my stomach. A weight that made me want to be sick. "This isn't it, Junior. More is coming, and I'm the one holding the cards." I laughed mirthlessly. "Roman's been captured, or killed if Mercury wasn't lying. It'll be a day, maybe two before my name and face is all over the news. I _know_ I was seen leaving the Breach. I'll be more than just a wanted man; I'll be a fucking terrorist."

I slumped back in my seat, finishing off my first glass. "It's all riding on me. All on me to deal with Cinder and whatever batshit insane plan she has." I groaned, running fingers through my matted hair. "Fuck, for all I know Roman could be gone. And then what? Do I just pick up from where he left off?"

"Stop, Jaune. Just stop." Junior said, trying to get me to calm down a little. "Listen, you're going to be fine. Roman's not dead. Right before you stumbled in, there was a report that he was captured. Nor are you alone. You've got me, Neo, Roman's crew, Paul. We're all standing by you."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You don't know what you're getting into."

"You said this isn't it, right? You're the one who knows what's coming?" I nodded. "Then if that's the case, sign me up. I live in this city, Jaune. This is my home, and I'll be damned if some psychotic bitch named Cinder will tear it to the ground. Even if it costs me everything – I can rebuild my crime empire, I can't rebuild Vale."

"You sure about this?"

"As I'll ever be."

I raised my refilled glass to him. "Then the stage is set. Together, we march down into oblivion."

He clinked his glass against mine. "To the criminal heroes of Vale."

* * *

**And that's all she wrote, boys and girls.**

**Remember, there's a poll up on my profile, go check it out if you haven't already.**

**Now, onward, to reviews!**

**Derrik - Hey, I'm glad you liked.**

**King Of Clubs - Sorry about the lack of Blake, friend. She just never really was in my outline, and I've been doing my best to follow that so I don't ramble on aimlessly.**

**Greer - Yes. Yes she does.**

**Engineer - Jaune is getting better, but he's still in way over his head, and that's awful. But yeah, Jaune is super stressed and overworked. He desperately needs the support from Neo and his other remaining friends. I personally really like how I'm making his Virtuoso mask feel like a comfort when he's in over his head. And then there's Yang. Oh god, Yang. Bad things to come in future, almost assuredly.**

**Dino Guy - Well, you've caught up now. And, well, bad things. All kinds of bad things.**

**2AM Guest - Woo! More cookies! Yeah, they are the same person, but have two very different outlooks on how to deal with stress and the scenarios they walk into. Get some sleep my dude, it's a good thing.**

**Specter - No. No they won't.**

**Azrael Saint - Welp, one foot into hell. Can confirm, it's fuckin' stressful. Both as a character, and writer. Like, I gotta ensure that this does have high stakes and feels right while Jaune just has to worry about not getting killed.**

**Imperial Germany - Onward, into the breach. I enjoy seeing someone's hyped.**

**Luine Mercury - Ruby _so_ won't be happy that Jaune basically broke her sister. Dealing with Qrow and the others will be spooky when they find out, but he's gonna be fine. Probably.**

**Nobody of Nowhere - I have been writing for years. I'm no professional, but I've always done this for my own entertainment. Basically since I was around 14 or 15 years old, I've been writing stories. This is just the first time I grew enough of a spine to post one somewhere.**

**typhonyx - Well, that was Jaune's plan, but there is more to come for Yang, and her one time save from Raven. That much I guarantee, there will be more to see as this story pushes onward into chaos.**

**Yami-Guy - Stupidity, yes. But, Jaune was desperate. He didn't have a choice, nor was there any time to plan better. I do agree, they're all-knowing assholes, and I kinda fucked that up looking back. But, oh well. The pitfalls of a first publication.**

**John Killa - Yeah. It's a great sort of system, Jaune fighting against his criminal nature to protect as many people as possible.**

**Lucky Shot - Heat is rising, and the story charges onward into Oblivion.**

**Random Friend - I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but I'm glad you've been enjoying. There's definitely more to come.**

**Dragon Lord Draco - _Cough cough_ I definitely didn't do both. Nope, no idea what you're talking about. While Jaune won his first engagement with Yang, who couldn't fight back, he's just doomed himself for his second. Prepare, Jaune. Prepare and hope.**

**Guest (1) - Yang is a bitch in this story, and she's supposed to be. Even then, she doesn't deserve to die here.**

**And that's all my reviews.**

**Welp, that was a ride. I would love to stay and chat, but I'm sick as a dog, and generally just want to crawl into bed and die. That said, I'm gonna drop this here.**

**Next chapter, we see the aftermath of the Breach, and then more of Jaune forming a plan.**

**Next Chapter - Monday, August 12th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Monday Afternoon. God I hate them, but at least I get to give y'all more Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 29]

I sat on the far end of a large conference table that Junior had set up for us in one of the VIP rooms in the Club. Gathered around were all people I had come to call friends in one way or another over my time as a criminal.

First, we had Junior and his crew. The boss was leaning back in his seat, arms crossed as he eyed me curiously. He had already guaranteed me the support of his forces in whatever shitshow was to come. Not-Jerry was looking nervous. He had only just recently become a lieutenant of Junior's but has quickly found himself in a dominant role as one of his more trusted allies.

Second, we had Roman's crew. Winston and Jack both were doing their best to seem impassive, but the interest was bleeding through. Nobody had been told what they were going to be walking into here, only that they should show up and at least hear what I have to say.

Last, and I can hardly believe it myself, is none other than Qrow Branwen. The old Huntsman hadn't even been asked to show up to this, but decided that he'd come and crash the party anyway. When he showed up, almost everyone had gone for their weapons. Thanks to Junior and I, everyone backed down so long as he left his weapon outside the room, and allowed us to search him for bugs.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to think of Qrow's showing up here at all. On one hand, it was good to have our allies in the loop as to what's going on. On the other, he's not exactly my ally. A friend, yes. A trustworthy ally? I'm not sure. His loyalties aren't clear. He seems like he's just another one of Ozpin's lackies, similar in vein to Mercury and Emerald. Though he doesn't seem content there. It seems like he's not so trusting of Ozpin. It might be an act, but regardless of if it is or not, I'll be keeping him at arm's length.

I blew a puff of breath out slowly as I came to stand. "Now that we're all here, and satisfied that the resident Huntsman _won't_ be killing or arresting us all, we can begin."

"As I'm sure you're all aware by now, five days ago, Vale was breached and assaulted by a joint force of White Fang and Grimm. Several thousand civilians were killed in the process." I took in another deep breath. "The media claims that Roman and I both were the masterminds behind this attack on the city. I'm here to disperse that idea."

Nobody said a word. "The woman behind this all goes by the name of Cinder Fall. She is the one who ordered our raid on Atlas to secure the Paladins. She's the one who ordered Roman and I to steal all the Dust in Vale. She's the same one who ordered the Breach." I ran my fingers through my hair. "As best I can tell, her only objective is to cause chaos and to kill without a care."

Winston was the one who spoke up then. "Right, Jaune. I don't mean to be an ass, but nobody here, other than the Huntsman, thought you or Roman responsible for this. If this is the only reason you called us all here, then you're just wasting time."

"Oi, don't try and speak for me. I've known that brat longer than you have. No way in hell I'd claim that he was the perp behind this." Qrow retorted.

I slammed my palm down on the table, glaring at them both. "You're right, Winston. Nobody here, not even Qrow, thought I was responsible. I've called this meeting because something's happening. Cinder isn't done after the Breach."

"She wanted either Roman or I captured during the fighting, going so far as to send one of her lackies to try and take me forcibly. She wouldn't bother with that if she didn't have something else planned." Everyone was subtly nodding with what I was saying. "And that's where this comes in. What else does she have planned? What's her ultimate goal in causing this much chaos and death?"

Jack shrugged. "Simple – she's a terrorist. She wants to raze all of Vale to the ground because they've wronged her in the past, somehow."

Junior spoke up next. "Perhaps. But if that were the case, Jaune or Roman getting captured wouldn't have mattered in the slightest. She told them ahead of time that was her plan, so it goes beyond that."

I nodded. "And now we're hitting the same wall I have been for the past few days. We've seen her plans in action. We haven't seen her rewards. We don't know what she's getting from this, other than some sick sense of pleasure."

Qrow frowned. "I might have an idea. If I'm allowed to have those, that is?" He asked, eyeing everyone in the room who was returning their uneasy gazes. "Seeing no objections, I'll continue." He turned to focus on me. "The Breach has nothing to do with her end goal. It accomplished something – just a mere stepping stone to her final objective." He paused for a moment. "So, ladies and gentlemen of crime, what did the Breach accomplish for her?"

Not-Jerry spoke up first. "Well, the most noticeable thing, for me at least, is Atlas. They've got their massive gunships looming menacingly overhead night and day. They've also got a load of their white robots patrolling the city constantly."

I hummed, nodding. "So, increased security. Security they plan to keep here until after the Vytal Festival, at least."

Winston spoke up again. "She also spread fear throughout the city. There are more Grimm than ever roaming around near the walls, and more security than ever is deployed to be able to handle it."

Junior nodded. "She created a load of negativity, drawing more Grimm in from the surrounding area. Maybe she's trying to start a Grimm invasion?"

I shook my head. "No, if that were the case, she wouldn't need Roman or I locked up." I frowned, biting down on the inside of my cheek. "So, she's increased security, and drawn a swarm of Grimm closer to Vale right before Vytal. She's also got Roman locked up on Atlas' capital ship." I drummed my fingers against the table. "More security, more Grimm, and Roman locked away…"

_It makes no sense. Junior's theory on a Grimm invasion is possible, but she had to know that they'd increase security after the Breach. This sudden surge in negativity might bring a horde, but with more soldiers and an air fleet over Vale, it won't matter._

_Then there's Vytal. A yearly tournament for young Huntsmen to prove themselves in combat against their peers. People from all across Remnant come to see it. More people who will know about the Breach, and see those airships floating over Vale. While meant to provide comfort, might make people uncomfortable thinking that there might still be danger?_

Discussion had broken out over the group of people, as some were posing theories of their own, the rest poked holes through it.

I pursed my lips, staring down at the table. _Not-Jerry said there were loads of these white robots patrolling, likely making his shipments more difficult… Wait a minute. They've got to be controlled from somewhere, right? Unless Atlas has developed an army of robots like Penny, there's got to be some sort of central control._

"I think I've got it." I called out over the group, getting them all to quiet down and look at me again. "Now, I might be completely off base, but hear me out at least."

"We know there's a small army's worth of these robots roaming the streets of Vale thanks to Atlas, right?" Everyone nodded. "And they're there to act as security for Vytal, right?" Again, everyone nodded. "Unless I'm wildly mistaken, these things aren't completely autonomous. They have to report somewhere – some sort of control tower where they report in."

"Assuming that's correct, where would Atlas' machines report into?" Qrow started nodding subtly, as did Junior. "That's right. They'd report in to Atlas' capital ship, or their ship of origin. The same ship Roman's being held prisoner on." Qrow sat back in his chair, a subtle smile on his lips. "Junior, you might be right. She might be trying to start a Grimm invasion. One that Ironwood and Ozpin think they're prepared for because of Atlas' navy."

"Cinder's plan, assuming we're right on a Grimm invasion, is to use Roman to disable the forces protecting the city, thus overwhelming the Huntsmen present." I concluded, looking between the gathered people.

"Alright, kid. That was a decent game of connect the dots you haphazardly played in your head. Let's throw a wrench in it. Remember your little meeting with Oz? Remember that alarm that went off? Someone broke into the CCT. Someone, I suspect, works for our mysterious friend Cinder." Qrow pointed out, taking a long swig off his flask.

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek. "It was her. Well, one of her operatives, anyway." I trailed off as I started wracking my brain for answers.

"If you ask me, the CCT would be how she plans to shut down the robots." Jack called out. "Think about it. Yeah, these robot shits have to report in to their mother ship or whatever, but I highly doubt their transponders or whatever they use are strong enough to reach the capital ship across the city. They probably tap into the CCT and use it to communicate. Have Roman up in the air, issue the command to shut down, and then disable the CCT. Bam, robot issue handled."

I nodded. "Right, so we think she might have a way to control what messages get through the CCT?"

Jack shrugged. "I didn't say that. Just said what I thought was going on."

"That's not a bad point, though." Junior commented. "If she's done something to the CCT, she can potentially control what calls and orders get sent out. Maybe manipulate how our forces respond?"

I pursed my lips. "We're assuming that these robots go through Vale's CCT. We don't know how well outfitted the Atlas ships are – they might have some way to support their own small CCT system that gives them wide range control of their units."

"Jaune, we're working with nothing but assumptions here. We don't have anything concrete." Winston pointed out.

I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling frustrated. "Alright, true. How about we move away from hypotheticals and theories to something concrete." Everyone nodded at that. "The Breach. That was the first major unveiling of the Paladins we stole. They proved to be quite potent, making one semi trained Fang member worth two Huntsmen."

"At the Breach, we only had about half of what we stole there. That means that the White Fang have the rest stored away somewhere, potentially for this upcoming Judgement Day." I turned my attention to Junior. "If we can get our hands on some of those, it'll turn the Red Axe from a small crime family, to a small army."

Junior nodded, appreciating the idea. "Alright, I like the sound of that. Any idea where I find these Paladins?"

I shook my head. "Slow down there. First off, no. I need you to _discretely_ search for the safehouses. Second, you can't just raid the White Fang." Junior arched his brows at that. "Think about it. You are one of my closest allies. Cinder isn't an idiot. She'll connect the dots and have me killed before I even knew what was happening." I shook my head. "Make these raids look like the VPD are responsible. The VPD who already had their pride wounded by the White Fang and are already searching for them."

"If you ask me, brat, still sounds obvious. If the VPD haven't found 'em yet, they're probably not going to suddenly hit a good streak." Qrow pointed out.

I grinned a bit. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong. Remember the Breach? Well, a load of White Fang were captured there, including one Faunus named Perry. He was the quartermaster for most of the Fang operations. The 'VPD' get him talking, and suddenly they become an effective force."

Qrow nodded. "Fair play."

"And what happens when Cinder inevitably wants him taken care of for snitching everything?" Winston asked.

Not-Jerry beat me to it. "We kill him. I don't know about you, but there's no love lost between me and those fanatical animals."

Everyone was nodding along with that sentiment.

"Beyond that. Junior, prepare for the worst. Assume that there's going to be a Grimm army at your doorstep. Fortify the Club if you can, make this place hard to topple. Better safe than sorry." Junior nodded at my recommendation.

"We done here?" Junior asked.

I nodded, as did everyone else. "Once you start getting info on these safe houses, give me a call. I'm plenty willing to help."

Junior nodded as he left the conference room.

Nobody else said anything as they slowly filed out.

All except Qrow. Qrow stayed seated where he was, polishing off the last of his flask.

"You need anything else, Qrow?" I asked, leaning back in my seat.

"More booze for one." He said, looking up to meet my gaze. "Second, a little chat about what happened at the Breach."

I sighed, unclasping my flask from my hip and tossing it over to him. "Go on, then."

He fumbled the flask, letting the metal container hit him in the head before clattering off onto the ground behind him. "Thank you kindly." He grumbled quietly to himself.

He ducked down, reaching behind him to snap up the flask. Once he had it in hand, he started knocking back a hefty shot. "Before the Breach, we sent out a team to investigate a surge in activity around Mountain Glenn. Know anything about that?"

I hummed. "I might know a thing or two."

"Alright. What do you know about a blonde girl – uses shotgun gauntlets, and has some attitude on her?" He probed farther.

"Cut the games, Qrow. Ask your fuckin' question."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Straight to business, as usual." He knocked back more out of my flask. "Yang. What did you do to her?"

"You sent her team, and my father, after us in Mountain Glenn. Even after I specifically told you that would be a bad idea." I retorted coolly.

"What did you do to her?" He tried again, this time his voice was more frosty than normal.

"Why'd you send them after us? Think you could get me, Roman, Neo, and Cinder all in one shot?"

Qrow growled lowly. "Answer the fuckin' question, kid."

I hummed and pulled an Ice Dust grenade off my bandolier. "See, Qrow, you should answer mine first. Not only are you unarmed, but you're in the middle of a criminal cesspool." I set it down lightly on the table, pin still intact. "So, how about answering my question? Or would you rather take your chances?"

Qrow pursed his lips, eyeing me up momentarily. His whole body was tense, like a coiled spring ready to snap. "Not bad, Jaune. Not bad at all." He said, relaxing his muscles and leaning back in his seat. "Oz sent them out. It was supposed to be a scouting mission. Get eyes on the train, give us an idea as to how many to expect. That sort of deal."

I inclined my head. "Mhm. And you sent my father as their chaperone. Why?"

Qrow shrugged. "Oz thought it would be a good idea. He spent the most time in Mountain Glenn, he should make the best guide. Not to mention he's your father – maybe knows how you think, see if he can piece together what your plan might be."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "He might be my father, but he doesn't know me."

Qrow shrugged. "Anything else you want to ask?"

I rubbed my chin for a moment, eyes narrowed. "Have at it."

"Again, what did you do to Yang?" He asked.

I leaned back in my seat. "Broke her Aura. Threatened to let Neo have a field day with her, and then had her locked up and knocked out."

"And her weapons?" He asked, polishing off the rest of my flask.

"They're safe."

"Any chance I can get them back?" Qrow pushed.

I nodded. "Once I'm done with them, yes. Gave me a few ideas."

He tossed my now empty flask back to me, which I caught with far more ease than he did. "Great." He shook his head. "You know she wants your head on a spike, right?"

I nodded. "She made that one pretty clear there, yes."

Qrow pursed his lips. "You should talk to Ruby, too. She's pretty torn up about what's happened."

I nodded slowly. "Doubt she'll forgive me." I killed thousands in cold blood. I didn't deserve forgiveness.

"You don't know until you talk to her."

"Right you are, old man. Right you are."

Qrow just chuckled. "Watch it, brat. I can still kick your ass."

I watched the old Huntsman make his way from the conference room and sighed.

"God, to think that asshole is one of my best friends." I said, shaking my head.

I reattached the Ice Dust grenade where it belonged on my bandolier and pushed out of the room, making my way out, into the night.

_He's right, you know. You should talk to her. She forgave you once, maybe she'll do it again._ I shook my head. _Even if she doesn't, she deserves to hear what happened from the source, not just from the media who are painting you as the big bad._

I started chewing on the inside of my cheek as I made my way back to the new safehouse. _We've got a plan. Or at least, the start of one. Now, here's hoping that things actually go well for us. All it takes is one mistake, and I don't doubt that Cinder will hand out my death by fire._

_Then there's Qrow and Ozpin. One, I might be willing to trust. The other has a poor reputation in Roman's eyes. One that he probably earned. They might be willing to tentatively work with me to deal with Cinder, but I figure once she's dealt with, they'll turn on me. At least, Ozpin will. Qrow might hesitate._

_Where do his loyalties even lie? He seems like he's one of Ozpin's lackies, yet he acts relatively autonomously, and makes his own decisions it seems. Even if they rail against his supposed master. Is he not completely loyal, or does he not like Ozpin's methods?_

_Then there's Roman. He's been locked up in Atlas' capital ship in 'protective custody.' Sounds like a load of shit to me, but what do I know? Regardless, I'm not content to leave him up there. I could maybe try and negotiate for his release after we've dealt with Cinder, but Ironwood won't ever let him go. Then I've got to break him out, maybe during the looming Judgement Day? That'd have me off the ground, unable to help Junior and his men handle the Grimm._

_But, I'm just one man. I might be able to do more up in the air, surveying the field than I would down on the ground._

_Hell, for all we know, Cinder could just be plotting Ozpin's surprise birthday party and all our planning is for nothing. However unlikely that seems._

_What if we are wrong? What if she takes a different route, and all our plans are for nothing? Then what do we do?_

_We adapt on the fly. No plans ever survive contact with the enemy, you of all people should know that._

I ran my fingers through my hair again as I trundled my way up the rickety stairs that led to our new safehouse.

I pushed through the door, finding Neo stretched out over the couch, out cold as whatever crap TV comedy she was watching droned on.

I shook my head, turning off the TV, and sweeping her up in my arms. Still asleep, she huddled closer to me for warmth.

I smiled and shook my head. Leave it to Neo, the tiny assassin who had me scared shitless a few months ago, to be the thing that makes me smile through all this.

I laid her down in bed, stretching my arms up, groaning slightly as I felt several of the bones in my back pop.

She started to curl in on herself, missing the heat that I had provided. I couldn't help but to smile.

I stripped off my armor and clothes, slipping into the rather uncomfortable old bed that we had next to her.

Once again, she cuddled into my side, sighing in contentment with the newfound source of warmth. I leaned forward, pressing my lips gently to the top of her head. "Goodnight, Neo." I murmured softly, closing my eyes as I felt the ever-welcoming embrace of sleep drag me under into unconsciousness.

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**This is a short chapter, and I know it. The shortest in all of Criminally Good so far.**

**More reviews!**

**Glover - Well, I will neither confirm nor deny that Roman is going to die, but he is currently alive.**

**Greer - Reactions to the Breach are coming, just slowly. Eventually we'll know what the important characters think.**

**Engineer - Jaune is in so deep over his head, with his only real support now being Neo and maybe, sorta, Qrow. Yang's gauntlets were something I threw in there when I reread the chapter and went 'Wait a minute... Yang shouldn't still have her weapons.' and then proceeded to forget that I gave them to Jaune, so whoops. Failed Chekhov's Gun, damnit.**

**Guest (1) - The Qrow saving Jaune felt pretty fitting to me, especially against my very dickish Mercury. Felt good to write him getting put in his place.**

**Jim - That was, probably, one of my favorites in the story so far. Depending on how well I write, it could be my favorite in the whole story. Dunno.**

**Another Stalker - Ayyy. Glad you liked, my friend.**

**Imaskier - That was my whole idea behind writing this story. Thief Jaune isn't something I see much of. Most of our criminal stories are from the side of the law hunting baddies, but what if we are the baddies? I dunno, it seemed like a novel idea a few months ago when I outlined it, and here we are.**

**King Of Clubs - To us the audience, yeah. To Jaune, she's been a bit of a bitch in general. Regardless, she was right about Jaune. And she definitely isn't dead, just has something wrong, probably.**

**X3 - Jaune really didn't want to kill any of his friends, no. He did his best to ensure that they all lived their fights and falls from the train. At least Jaune did well in the fights and managed to not kill people. That we're aware of.**

**Imperial Germany - There's no going back now. While Jaune is trying to keep it out of Cinder's eyes, he can only do so much. Mercury might've been the one to rat Jaune out, or maybe it was Yang. Who knows?**

**Sgt Soul Snatcher - Jaune's semblance will show up this story. And yeah, the gauntlets. Jaune still has them. Qrow probably would've asked for them back, but at the time sick me wasn't thinking about it, so forgot to put anything in and failed Chekhov's Gun. And who knows, there's still more to come, lots more. Like I've said before, I don't mind rants. Sorry that responses are small, I'm still sick as a dog.**

**Dino Guy - The fighting was some of my favorite I've written thus far. Glad you're enjoying, comrade.**

**Specter - _Mr. Burns impression_ Excellent.**

**Nuclear Pen Strokes - Yeah, that'll be fun when Jaune gets to see it.**

**Azrael Saint - Qrow curb stomping the asshole Mercury was so much fun for me. Looking back, I just wish it were a bit longer, but oh well.**

**And that's all the reviews (I think)**

**So yeah, this is a short chapter. That's because I'm still real fuckin' ill. Normally, I'd cut where this chapter was and write another scene, but god damn my brain and muse both just aren't cooperating. So, that said, I'm back off to bed.**

**Next Chapter, Jaune gets to see Cinder, and then Ozpin. It'll be a grand ol' shitshow for the ages.**

**Next Chapter - Friday, August 16th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	30. Chapter 30

**It's Friday, my dudes. That means more Criminally Good, thankfully.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 30]

_Deep breaths, Jaune. Everything'll be fine._

I found myself repeating this mantra over and over as I stalked closer to Cinder's primary hideout. No longer was it easily noticeable with White Fang grunts posted outside, weapons at the ready should an intruder come to close. No, that would be a little _too_ obvious.

I approached the compound completely uncontested. No security, no traps, nothing.

_If she wanted you dead, she wouldn't have called you all the way out here._ I reminded myself as the only sounds that surrounded me were the steady thuds of my feet against the concrete.

I pushed into the building, finding that the place was mostly cleaned out. No crates packed with supplies, no White Fang grunts milling about. The only sign that this place was ever inhabited in the past decade being the light that was on in the upstairs office.

I rolled my shoulders back and slowly made my way up the metallic stairs, more than aware of how each of my steps created what felt like a deafening clang.

I swallowed nervously as I stared down the short hallway to the one lit room in the whole building. _Welp, it's now or never, I suppose._

I knocked twice on the door, half expecting Cinder to just set me ablaze through the thin barrier.

"Enter."

I took another deep breath and let it out slowly, pushing my way into the all too familiar office.

Cinder was sat behind the desk, filing her nails as she did her best to look completely disinterested in her surroundings.

Flanking her on the left was Emerald, while Mercury was seemingly missing. Cinder looked up at me and twisted her lips in to that sickening saccharine smile. "Ah, Jaune. Just the man I wanted to see. Please, take a seat." She said, gesturing to the wooden chair in front of the desk.

I nodded, slipping into the seat. "What do you want, Cinder?"

She hummed quietly. "You did exceptionally well at the Breach, I must say." She said, ignoring my question completely. "I expected a performance from you, and you more than delivered."

I didn't remove the mask, leaning back in my seat. "Get to the point, I'm sure we've both got things to do tonight."

She just laughed melodically. "Always in such a rush, Jaune. Relax, won't you? A few minutes of idle chatter won't kill you."

I made a bit of a show of glancing between her and Emerald. "Say, where's the other one? Tall, dark, and broody? Let me guess, he broke Emerald's heart, didn't he?"

Emerald snarled. "Why you – "

Cinder raised one hand to pacify her lackey. "Oh, Mercury? He is a bit… Indisposed at the moment." Emerald growled lowly at me, throwing a look that would kill if it could.

I smirked slightly behind my mask, inclining my head. "I see. Send him my regards when you see him next."

"I'm sure that's a message better delivered in person."

I shrugged. "Perhaps."

Cinder finished filing her nails, leaning forward and resting her chin in the palm of one hand. "Now, tell me, Jaune. The Breach was early. Care to explain why?"

I leaned back in my seat; arms still crossed over my chest. "There were outside forces at play."

Cinder raised her brows at that. "Oh? Such as?"

"Huntsmen. Rather, a team of trainees from Beacon, along with a professional to act as guardian."

She used her other hand to rap her nails against the wooden desk. "I see, and this forced you to move plans ahead?"

I nodded. "I made that call. While I'm willing to bet that with the Paladins on our side, we had them more than handled, capturing and pacifying them all while we finish the excavation could lead to problems."

"Do tell."

"We didn't know their numbers, first off. We didn't know their mission plan or timeline, or how long they'd been present. To hold them captive would've been to risk a larger team of Huntsmen coming to rescue them. That would've risked the whole operation." I explained.

Cinder nodded a few times. "I see. Cautious as ever; very good." She paused for a moment. "Anything else?"

I tilted my head slightly. "Roman was captured, as planned. Neo and I both escaped with no issue."

She narrowed her eyes at that. "Is that so? I would've imagined you encountered some resistance along the way."

I bit my lower lip. "I never said we didn't. I only said it wasn't an issue to handle."

She inclined her head once again. "I see." She waved a dismissive hand. "Like I said, your performance was spectacular. I look forward to seeing more."

I adjusted in my seat, glancing over to Emerald who now had her arms crossed over her chest as she glared down at me. I shifted my gaze to Cinder once more. "This was only the first act, I suspect."

She nodded in agreement. "You would be correct. Should you continue to perform and prove yourself capable, there will be many more to come."

I pursed my lips. _What more is to come?_ "I presume I have a key role to play here?"

She laughed her same melodic and taunting laugh that made my blood freeze. "Oh, Jaune. So eager to be helpful, are you?"

I licked my lips. "Being idle puts me on edge."

Cinder remained silent for a few moments as she studied me. "You will have to be patient. Your role will be called upon in time." She smiled again, and I could feel my skin crawling. "And when it is, the spotlight will all be on you."

I hummed, thankful for the cold visage of the Virtuoso hiding my expression. "Then are we done here?"

Cinder hummed, drumming her nails on the desk. "Yes, for the moment I believe we are. I will call upon you when it is time."

I closed my eyes and let out a quiet breath I had been holding almost since I walked in. "Until then." I said, rising to my feet slowly. I could feel her gaze track me as I moved, keeping trained on the soulless depths of my mask.

"Indeed. Until then, my dear Jaune." She kept her hard gaze trained on me as I pushed my way out of the room, making me feel like if I stayed even a moment longer, she'd set me ablaze with her gaze alone.

_What was that? She called me in for a mission report?_ I shook my head, resting a hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors. _No, she wanted information. More than what she just asked for._ I bit down on the inside of my cheek. _Mercury. He damn near beat me completely, but thanks to Qrow, he's been handled. Does this mean that Qrow and Ozpin have him detained? Does Cinder know that? Does she think I was the one who bested him?_

I found myself a few blocks away from Cinder's compound, and stopped in one of the dark alleyways. I removed my mask and slid down one of the brick walls. I rested my arms on my bent knees, staring into the battered visage of the Virtuoso.

"God, what the hell am I gonna do?" I muttered to myself, staring at the mask.

It's funny, when I first got the mask, it unsettled me. Made me uncomfortable and on edge. Now, though? It's a comfort. It gives me confidence when I'd otherwise be shaking like a leaf. It clears my head and lets me think logically even in the most stressful of situations.

It was almost like its own person, or at least, personality.

I laughed mirthlessly and shook my head. "I've got to be losing it if I'm starting to see my mask as an alternate personality." _An alternate personality that went through with the Breach._ Part of my head pointed out. _You did it for the greater good… All those innocents dead. For the greater good…_

That thought. _For the greater good._

_I'm no better than those Councilmen who willingly murdered hundreds of thousands of their own citizens. All for the greater good._ I spat on the ground. _You did it because you didn't have a choice. To stop it completely would be to let Cinder's plans go unhindered._

_The Council established Mountain Glenn to fix a problem. When it was breached, they didn't have an option either. To let those innocents back in would be to set themselves back to square one. Did they have an option?_ The devil's advocate in me pointed out.

I growled lowly, and slammed my head back into the wall. _I could've done more. I could've saved more of those innocents. Instead, I stood by and watched as they died._

I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh. _I let those people die, just to further my own goals._ I laughed bitterly. "Fucking hell. Makes me no better than the damned Grimm then, does it? Willingly killing innocents."

"You know, kid, watch what you say out loud. Never know who's listening." The all too familiar voice of Qrow said from somewhere off to my right.

I opened my eyes and turned to eye the older Huntsman who was standing a few feet off, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "But it's true. I killed those innocents. I could've done more to stop the Breach. They didn't have to die."

Qrow shook his head. "Here's some friendly advice, Jaune." He met my gaze with his own. "Don't let yourself sit and wallow in the has been. You'll only develop a deep sense of self loathing that won't ever go away."

I shook my head. "It's one thing if you let an opportunity pass. It's another if you're responsible for thousands of lives ending."

"Tell me. Did you plan the Breach?" Qrow asked, producing his flask and taking a hefty shot from it.

I shook my head.

"Right. You didn't plan it; you didn't create it. You didn't even want it. You just got caught up in the middle of it."

"And yet, I was the one who made that call. I made the call to get that train moving once Yang and her team showed up."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you did. And you know who's fault that is?" I shook my head. "Fucking Ozpin's. He sent them out there. He knew first hand that you and your lot would be there, yet he thought it a genius plan to send Yang's team, along with your Father to go check it out." Qrow sighed and rubbed his temples. "If anything, this is Oz's fault. He forced your hand."

I shrugged, unhooking my own flask to take a long drink from it. The vodka within was a nice comfort as the warmth started to settle in my stomach. I closed my eyes again and leaned my head back against the wall. "Any reason you're here, Qrow?"

"Yeah, actually." I opened my eyes to glance over at him. "Oz wants to meet. Preferably tonight if possible."

I arched my brows as I knocked back another shot from my flask. "I won't meet on his terms. Last time he had me paraded through the school like a trophy."

He nodded. "I thought that'd be the case. What do you want?"

I pursed my lips. "Ozpin, you, and Ironwood. Glynda and Winter don't get to come." I paused for another brief moment. "We're meeting on my turf this time. The Club – same deal as happened with you. No weapons, and we get to search you for bugs."

Qrow hummed. "Alright. I'm sure Oz will agree."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my matted blonde hair. "Any idea what he wants?"

He shook his head. "Not a clue. If I had to guess, he wants information. Whatever you can give him."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Well, then he'll be sorely disappointed. Cinder is keeping me at arm's length. She knows something's up. Just can't prove it. Yet."

Qrow nodded absently. "I'll deliver your terms to Oz. What time should we be there?"

I pulled myself up to my feet. "Two hours."

"Right."

I watched as Qrow shifted himself into a mid-sized crow and take flight, off into the night.

I sighed, looking down at the mask in my hand. "No rest for the wicked."

The sadistic grin of the Virtuoso agreed wholeheartedly.

[-/-]

For the second time this week, I found myself seated at the head of the conference table that Junior had set up in one of his VIP rooms.

The table was pretty clearly divided. At the head of the table I sat, flanked on the right by Not-Jerry, and on the left by Neo. Seated to my right was Junior, arms crossed as he leaned back in his seat.

On the other end, directly across from me, was Ozpin. The man looked completely at ease, fingers interlaced in front of him as he studied me. Seated to his left was Qrow, the old huntsman leaning back in his seat, feet kicked up on the table as he drank from his flask. On Ozpin's right was Ironwood, the General looking rather irate, though not quite ready to lunge for me.

Around the room, we had the Twins, as well as several goons that Junior trusted. All of which were clearly armed.

"I must say, Mr. Arc, I did not expect you to be nearly so receptive to the idea of another meeting." Ozpin started.

"Cut the shit, Ozpin. What do you want?" I responded.

He smiled warmly, doing his best to disarm the blatant distrust of him that flooded the room. "Come now. There's no need to be so hostile – I came here willingly, and unarmed."

"And this isn't a social call. Again, what do you want?" I spat out.

Ironwood growled. "Watch who you're talking to, boy."

I rounded on him then. "You're not in charge here, _General_. You'd do best to watch your tongue lest I have someone remove it."

He snarled at me. "I'd like to see anyone here try."

I raised a brow, nodding subtly. Before the General had a chance to move, the image of Neo behind me shattered, and the actual girl found herself right behind the burly Atlas commander, sword digging into the back of his neck lightly. "I'd be careful with threats like that. She'll be happy to call your bluff."

Ozpin cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to him. "Forgive James. He is rather stressed, what with organizing the defense of Vale and all."

I smiled, nodding. "Of course. No harm done, isn't that right, James?" I asked, turning back to the General who had clenched his jaw and sealed his lips. He nodded. I turned back to Ozpin. "See? Now, I'll ask again, Headmaster. What do you want?"

I knew that letting Ozpin control this meeting would only lead to disaster and, in turn, humiliate me in front of all the people who were looking to me for guidance in the upcoming Judgement Day.

Ozpin thought for a moment. "The Breach has just devastated Vale. Several thousand civilians were killed or injured in the course of events." He paused ever so briefly. "We captured your mentor and friend Roman Torchwick in all the fighting. Further, as I'm sure you no doubt know, your face is everywhere. You are known as The Virtuoso, and blamed in conjunction with Torchwick for the Breach."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "If I wanted to hear a news report, I'd turn on the news myself. Cut to the point."

He stopped. "Very well. You, Mr. Arc, were instrumental in our being prepared for this disaster despite what some may believe." He shot a glance over to Ironwood. "I've come to ask if you know anything further?"

I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms. "Why should I tell you anything? What guarantee do I have that you won't just stab me in the back?"

"A fair point. Though, I will mention that you came to us before. You were desperate and needed help to push back against otherwise overwhelming odds. Unless something drastic has changed, I suspect you still need our assistance."

Around the room, gazes flitted from Ozpin to me. I bit down on the inside of my cheek. "An exchange of information, then. I answer your questions, and you answer mine. A fair deal, no?"

I shot my gaze over towards Qrow who shrugged his shoulders. He was here as a body guard, less as a participant. Ozpin nodded. "We've a deal, Mr. Arc. As a show of good faith, I'll allow you the first question."

I licked my lips, thumbing the flask at my hip. "Mountain Glenn. You sent a team after us, even after I told you we would be there. Why?"

Ozpin smiled again, trying to disarm me yet again. "Forgive me, Mr. Arc. But you are a criminal, and a well known one at that. I would be a fool to trust your word alone. I do believe the term is trust but verify?"

I bit my lower lip. "You risked the whole operation, potentially getting your only asset on the inside killed or captured. Seems too big a risk to make the verification worthwhile."

"No riskier than trusting you outright. You could've been sending us on a wild goose chase while your schemes and plans went into action elsewhere." Ozpin fired back. "That aside. The Breach is past us now, and you proved trustworthy enough. What more can we expect to come?"

I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms again. "I don't know."

"Liar." Ironwood called out. He clacked his jaw shut shortly after as Neo dug the tip of her blade into his neck slightly more.

Ozpin arched his brows. "Is that so? I was led to believe that you were a trusted member of this cabal."

"Funny thing, trust. I was told that you can't trust anyone, not really. It's all just a massive web of how we help one another. In this world, trust goes as far as your usefulness."

"And you've run your usefulness down?"

I snapped. "One too many questions, Ozzy." I turned my attention to Qrow. "Thanks to Qrow here, I'm the one sitting before you. Post Breach, I was making my escape until I was accosted by a young man named Mercury. He beat me mercilessly into the ground, though was defeated by Qrow. Where is he?"

"Ah, yes. Mr. Black. Qrow brought him in after the Breach. Poor boy had his Aura shattered, along with several stab wounds along with several broken bones. All courtesy of The Virtuoso. He is currently in a recovery coma in our infirmary." Ozpin informed me, smiling still. "As I asked before. You claim trust only runs as far as your usefulness. Have you run yours down to nothing, then?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "Quite the opposite. However, she is smart to distrust me completely. I'm sitting here with you, after all."

"Then I've a request. Once you know more, you report it to me. I am curious to know what this woman is planning."

I nodded. "We've established already that you're useless without me, and that I am outmatched without you."

"Where are the Paladins?" Ironwood growled out.

I turned to look at him. I waved my hand towards Neo, and the girl pulled her weapon away from the General's neck. "I'm afraid that's beyond my paygrade, James. Like I just explained to Ozzy – Cinder doesn't trust me. Their locations are just as unfathomable to me as they are to you."

He growled lowly, and opened his mouth to retort. He paused for a moment and closed his mouth, thinking better of what he was about to say.

I turned back to Ozpin. "So, is this all? Or were you hoping for something more?"

The Headmaster thought for a moment as he studied me. "This was quite satisfactory. Thank you for agreeing to meet on such short notice. I'm sure you're quite busy."

I waved my hand towards the door. "Then you can leave. You'll get your weapons and scrolls back."

I turned towards Qrow. "Oh, and I do believe that there's a pair of gauntlets that belong to someone you know rather well down there, too. Be sure to send my regards when she gets them."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Thanks, kid."

I waited until the three men walked out of the room and sighed, collapsing back into my seat. I rubbed my eyes. "Well, that was something."

Junior nodded. "I'm not completely sure anything particularly productive even came from that."

I shrugged. "If I'm honest, I don't know either."

Not-Jerry hummed. "At least we're able to listen in on their conversations now."

I shook my head. "I suspect those bugs in their weapons and scrolls will last until they get to Beacon, but not farther."

Most of the goons, along with the Twins, filed out of the room, not interested in hearing our discussion any longer.

Not-Jerry shrugged. "Hey, you never know. Maybe Ozpin is more reckless than we're thinking he is?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it." I grumbled, unhooking my flask and downing the last bit of Vodka remaining in it.

"Well, now what, Jaune?" Junior asked, still leaning back in his seat.

I ran my fingers through my hair, more than aware that I looked like a wreck. "Ironwood isn't stupid. He'll start hunting for those Paladins once he gets the chance. He probably suspects that the Fang has them, so he'll be doing what we are. We just have to beat him to them."

"About that. I've been thinking, Jaune. Nobody in the city really likes the Fang. Especially not the other crime families. Rather than making our raids look like the VPD, why not make them look like different big-name families?" Not-Jerry asked.

I frowned. "Maybe. Think that'll be easier than the VPD route?"

Junior nodded. "Definitely. With the VPD, we need cars, uniforms, probably a Bullhead or two. While not impossible, it'll be fuckin' difficult. Crime families on the other hand, we just need uniforms."

I nodded. "This is your operation. You know best what's going on, so I'll leave it to you two to plan."

I glanced over towards Neo who was sitting in one of the chairs with her feet up on the table as she fiddled with her scroll. I glanced towards my two friends. "Well, thanks again. I know it was short notice, but I appreciate it."

Junior nodded. "We've got your back, Jaune." Not-Jerry agreed, offering a kind smile.

I hummed. "Right. I'll see you both later, then." I glanced back to Neo who was watching expectantly. "You heard me. Let's go."

She hopped up with grace that I could never dream to match and fell in step next to me.

The two of us made our way out of the Club through the back. It wasn't a good idea to go wandering through the main floor anymore considering we were both highly wanted criminals with hefty bounties.

I felt my scroll buzz in my pocket, and I opened it to a message from the weaponsmith.

_WS: Order's finished. Come pick them up whenever._

_Jaune: Headed over now._

I glanced down to Neo. "Head on home. I've got to go grab something I had built for me."

Neo nodded, wandering off towards the safehouse we had started calling home since Roman was arrested.

I, on the other hand, made towards the shopping district where this weaponsmith was based out of.

_So, recap. Ozpin has Mercury captured. That's about all I've learned from this whole ordeal. That said, Cinder either doesn't know, or won't admit that one of her lackies was bested in combat and then captured._

_What's Ozpin's plan with Mercury. Is he going to hold him prisoner until we deal with this? Or is he going to release the boy once he's properly healed up?_

_Then there's his wounds. Wounds I didn't cause. That only means that Qrow was the one who kicked him to hell and back. Why? To cover for me? It would make sense. Qrow found me escaping the scene after having nearly killed Mercury. Faced with leaving him to die and chase me or helping him, he chose the latter._

I found my way into the shop that had left its door unlocked with thick metal shutters dropped on all the large windows that made up the front wall.

I was met with a woman in her mid-forties standing behind the counter. She smiled kindly at me. "Just like you asked for, here are the gauntlets, as well as the daggers."

First were the daggers. Upgraded from what they were originally. The hilt was metal and had a chamber within that opened to fit a small Dust cannister within. Once I filled that chamber, all I had to do was hit a button and the Dust would charge the blade's edge with whatever Dust was inside.

Second were the gauntlets. Weapons I'd never have considered myself, but thanks to seeing Yang's, I thought it better to be overprepared than under. They were simple, looking only like bracers at a glance. Once deployed, though, they expanded quite a bit. The weapon would expand into a full gauntlet of sorts, the upper receiver covering the entirety of my closed fist.

My gauntlets didn't fire with kinetic energy like Yang's did, bur rather a trigger of sorts. When the weapon was shifted to be a weapon, a small metal bar expanded in my closed fist. Should I squeeze on the bar, it'd fire a round from the gauntlet.

Yang's gauntlets, I later found out, were shotguns that fired with enough force for it to be damn near a rail gun. I suspect that played into her combat style somehow, but I'll be damned if I know how. Mine were far tamer. Still shotgun blasts, but ones that wouldn't threaten to blow my arm off with one swing. Nor were mine impact shells that added to the force put on the user.

I went old-school with mine and loaded them with simple buckshot rounds. Each gauntlet held sixteen shells before they became useless to me.

I sheathed the knives behind my back where they belonged, and slipped on the gauntlets.

"Thanks for the work, Eva."

She nodded, watching with pride as I took the weapons from her. "Any time, Jaune. That'll run you about eight hundred and fifty Lien."

I shook my head. "If I didn't know your reputation, I'd say you were scamming me."

Eva just chuckled. "I'd be a fool to try."

I dropped the Lien cards on the counter and turned to leave the shop.

_The curtain rises, and the actors are in their place. Now to see the show unfold, down into the murky depths._

* * *

**Well, that was a fun chapter to write. Especially considering I'm no longer sick. Yay!**

**Another signal boost on that poll. Go check it out if you haven't already.**

**Onward, my pretties. To the reviews!**

**Greer - I am feeling much better. Enough sleep and medicine rights all the ills. And, well, here's hoping that Ruby understands.**

**Another Stalker - Gray morality? Since when? Gray just means white with a tiny dash of black to make the character 'unique.' Number of fucks given just changes wildly depending on the situation, and how well Jaune can put up a mask. I'll be honest, the idea of an actual PMC like Jaune claimed he was part of never crossed my mind when outlining the story. It would be interesting to see, definitely. You are completely correct. Motivation is hard, especially for me. I've got some serious ADD, and even with adderal it's hard to sit and write. The deadlines I put at the end of each chapter aren't just for you guys, but for me, too. I know that if left to my own devices, I would've started Criminally Good, and then left it at like Chapter 6 without deadlines. It helps me a load.**

**Engineer - It's been a meeting heavy past two chapters, but at least they're good. Their plans are rough, but it's better than nothing. Stealing the Paladins is probably the best choice they have currently, especially with so little actual information to work with. Qrow's explanation was supposed to sound suspicious as all hell. Just like Roman taught him, trust only goes as far as usefulness. After Cinder's been handled, he can expect them to turn on him. At least Ironwood and Ozpin will. You're right that Junior is more of a support, definitely. That said, Neo is still queen. Well, here's what he did with her weapons. Designed his own that don't shoot like rail guns. And then there's Ruby. Poor, poor Ruby.**

**ZTitanBait - Correct. The mask is Hoxton's from Payday 2. Glad you've been enjoying, too.**

**X3 - Yang could very possibly delve down into madness and a broken state due to what Jaune did. That would be fun to write if I were doing multiple PoVs, but oh well. This isn't the last we see of the blonde brawler, though. You are right, Ozpin has no faith in Qrow this story. That's because I kinda already made Qrow distrusting of the old man. He follows along because it's the only thing he knows, and it's better than nothing.**

**Roland's Blade - Me? I darest because I am the almighty author, and I can do as I please.**

**cbustroyer - Nicely done, friend. I'm glad you enjoyed enough to binge read. Like I've said before, this isn't my first time writing like this, just the first time I've published. Ruby might, and she might not. It really depends on what happens in the next few chapters. Trust me, friend. My favorite is Lancaster, too, but when I was outlining this story, SilentKnight just fell in better than Lancaster did.**

**Azrael Saint - A snark contest was where I was going, but my brain just kinda shit itself at that point and I dropped it. At least it showed that Jaune is learning that he can't just bend over and do whatever people ask him because they used a forceful tone of voice.**

**Luine Mercury - They did, but also they're a lot more experienced, and know a lot more. I felt like giving them the right answer might've been too easy, but when I started writing it, I liked how they were able to reason their way into it. Jaune and Ruby will be having their chat. Soon™.**

**Imperial Germany - So here's where I'm not gonna play the 'Almighty Author' card. After the Battle of Beacon & Vale, my outline ends. That's not to say this story is over, that's just where the outline ends and I'll probably take some time off from this particular RWBYverse I created. I enjoy all my characters and where they are / will end at the end of this story. It will really depend both on my motivation and on the interest in a Criminally Good 2, Electric Boogaloo. Welp, Jaune's identity is in the open, so he won't directly be at the Vytal festival. This is where my outline starts getting wonky with timelines, and everything so I might do something there, I might not. We'll see.**

**Sgt Soul Snatcher - I return in full force, feeling fresh. We get to see what Jaune had done with the gauntlets, and also a new upgrade to his daggers. Stagnation is bad, development and changing is good, and that's why I've been adding things to Jaune's arsenal and changing his fighting style a bit, too.**

**Dino Guy - It was impressive, and I really liked it. My reasoning is that they have a crew of quite experienced criminals who are able to think and plan a bit better than Team RWBY was considering that the girls are all in their mid teens.**

**Specter - Yeah, RIP to Jess, their tech specialist. There was a reason that she was the one who had to die, and this is where her death has a bit of impact on the story as a whole. Now, to figure out what to do next.**

**And that is all my reviews. I think.**

**Hello, friends and readers. It's nice to be back and not feel like death. This chapter was really fun for me to write, considering that we got to see Jaune on the defensive against Cinder, and then playing the game with Ozpin and Ironwood. I dunno, to me this chapter just felt really nice to write. We also got to see Jaune getting new daggers to replace his lost pair, and shotgun gauntlets just in case. The boy is his own walking arsenal, a lot of which came from sheer paranoia, but that'd only be the case if he were wrong about needing it. So far, all his weapons have been helpful.**

**I haven't said it in a while, but holy shit guys, thank you. It's amazing to see how well recieved this story has been over the past few months. I never expected it to get this big, at all. A lot of the reason I'm still updating constantly is because of y'all, and the support I get. So, once again, thank you.**

**Next chapter, we do a hit on one of the White Fang warehouses. It's gonna be fun.**

**Next Chapter - Monday, August 19th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Goooooood Morning Vietnam! Remember, Monday is Malaria day. And Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

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[Chapter 31]

It was the dark of night – just barely past four in the morning. The shattered moon of Remnant laid down a thin sheen of light over the darkened alleyway that I found myself stood in. Around me were a team of familiar faces mixed in with a large number of unknown goons, too.

Of the mass of goons, I only recognized Not-Jerry, Winston, and Jack. While Neo had wanted to be part of this operation, that was deemed a bad idea by both myself and Junior. She would stand out, even if she used her semblance to disguise her appearance. Her fighting style stood out obviously, along with her semblance.

I felt almost naked without all of my usual armor and weapons on hand. I had only been armed with my shotgun gauntlets, my daggers, and a roughly made katana. Further, my entire wardrobe had changed to match that of my compatriots.

Everyone was wearing burnt orange button-up shirts that had been partially covered with simple black vests to match with the plain black slacks and shoes. This was the garb of the Reeves Family. They weren't massive, but they held a fair bit of clout in the weapons trading business, focusing most of their operation in the northern districts of Vale.

It would make sense why they were after the White Fang. Reports from Junior claimed that several of their stashes were raided by the fanatical Faunus a few weeks before the Breach. Since then, small skirmishes and attempted raids have been reported all across the city as the two factions fought to establish their dominance.

This gave us the perfect opportunity. While the warehouse that Junior had directed us to is far outside of their sphere of influence, it allegedly has at least two Paladins stored away.

Not-Jerry clapped a hand on my shoulder. "You ready?"

I nodded, glancing over towards my friend. "Let's do this."

He grinned a bit and strode forward, commanding the attention of all the gathered goons. "This is it, boys. Tonight, we take our first steps against the White Fang. Who's ready to show those animals what for?"

There was some moderate cheering for him.

"Who's ready to test their mettle and prove themselves?" I called out. "Who's ready to get their hands on classified military weapons, the likes of which you've only seen in your dreams?" There was more cheering for that, and I grinned. "Onward, then. Let's show them what we're made of."

That got the crowd cheering a bit more, weapons drawn and ready.

Winston whistled. "Not bad, kiddo."

I shrugged. "Not good, either."

Not-Jerry rolled his eyes. "Better than I did, that's for sure."

Jack punched Not-Jerry in the shoulder lightly. "Comes with practice. You'll get there, sooner or later."

I shook my head and pushed forward, drawing the simple katana from where it hung at my hip. The weight and balance felt all kinds of off, but I'd have to manage.

Behind me, the cheering stopped and the goons fell into line as we marched through the abandoned warehouse district.

Our target was no more conspicuous than any of the others that surrounded it. No signs of life or recent activity. No lights, no real noise. It was impressive, really. How the Fang could manage to keep something with so many people involved so well hidden. It was no wonder that the VPD never found them. They could be staring at the hideout and not know it.

The silence that fell over the group was eerie, and only broken by the quiet crunch of gravel beneath our feet. I could practically hear my heart pounding in my chest, the nerves of what was about to happen rushing through me all at once.

I closed my eyes and glanced back at my friends. Each of them nodded in return as we approached the door to the compound.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. In one quick motion, I ripped open the door, and rather quickly, all hell broke loose.

Gunfire was almost instant as soon as the door was opened – they heard us, and knew we'd be coming. The only light in the old warehouse came from the muzzle flash as the guards fired out at our crew.

I didn't hesitate in action. I charged headfirst into the fray, followed shortly behind by all the other goons who had been briefly stunned and caught off guard by the Fang's readiness for us.

I broke off from the crowd, meeting one of the Faunus who was closer to the front line. He was using a simple rifle, and a large crate as cover. In one quick motion, I vaulted over the crate, crashing into the unprepared combatant.

He fell to the ground, losing his hold on the rifle. Without hesitation, I kicked the weapon out of his grasp, slicing the katana down in a quick arc. The blade was light and much faster than Crocea Mors was. Considering that it was cheap and mass produced, it held a rather wicked edge. The blade ripped through his flesh like it wasn't even there.

There was a brief scream of pain before I used the swift blade to cut through his neck, silencing him permanently.

I grunted as a bullet impacted my Aura and charged at the next muzzle flash I saw. Above, I could pick out the sounds of feet clanking against the metal scaffolding that acted as the walkways. _They're setting up gunners above to pick us to pieces._

"Jack, Winston! Above, take care of those gunners!"

"On it!" Jack shouted from somewhere in the darkness.

I came to impact my target. This woman was far more prepared for me, and shoved me off easily. Her mistake, however, was bringing her rifle to bear on me.

I spun to the left, avoiding her shots as they rang out into the compound. In one swift motion, I brought the katana around, attempting to dig the blade into her neck. Instead, I was met with metal on metal. The woman had managed to bring her rifle up to block the blow.

Rather than bothering to fight her, I readied my left hand that I had deployed my shotgun gauntlet in. I pressed into her guard, holding her rifle at bay. I threw a punch, and felt as the shotgun shell impacted her head, blood coating my hand.

All resistance against the katana dropped, and her corpse fell to the ground.

Above, bullets started raining down from the riflemen they had set up.

I grit my teeth and dove for the cover of a crate as bullets rained down on me. They were quick to follow my movement, ripping through the wooden box. _Come on, Jaune. Think._

I was interrupted in my puzzling a way out of this scenario as a large Faunus came crashing into the crate I had been using as cover.

While it was dark, I wasn't completely blind. This Faunus was huge, almost the same size as Banesaw was. In one hand, he was wielding a long sword, and in the other a long knife, just a bit too short to be a sword.

I scrambled back and pulled myself up to my feet, readying my katana. _Alright, large opponent. Generally slower, but hit like trucks. The speed that this katana gives me might give me an edge._

The immense Faunus disproved my theory quickly. He was quick, forcing me to catch the blow from his longsword with my katana. He didn't hesitate, pushing his strength against mine with the longsword as he pressed into my guard.

In a split-second decision, I released the katana, ducking and coming behind the massive man. I threw a punch with my left hand, firing off another round from the gauntlet. The shell impacted his back, though the blow was absorbed by his Aura. _Fantastic._

I disengaged from him, leaving the katana abandoned on the ground near to the Faunus. I reached behind me and drew my new knife, spinning it expertly in hand as I squinted through the darkness at my opponent who was calmly studying me.

I had charged both of my knives with Lightning Dust, completely electrifying the blade's edge. I rolled my shoulders back and fell into a defensive stance. The Faunus saw this and took the offensive.

His charge was predictable, and I tucked into a tight roll off to one side, popping up to my feet, I rounded on him. I brought the electrified knife blade down onto his shoulder. I marveled briefly at the electricity rippling across his Aura.

He threw an elbow back, slamming into my face and sending me toppling backwards. I groaned, wishing that I had a metal mask on to absorb that blow. I pulled myself up to my feet and only just barely had a moment to dive out of the way of his next charge. Seeing a clear opportunity, I leveled my gauntlet at him and fired off two more rounds, both of which impacted him.

He shouted out and turned on me again.

I cracked my neck and brought myself to a ready stance. His charge was swift, and rather than avoiding it, I took it head-on. His sword cut down, slamming into my left shoulder. I grit my teeth, feeling the pain that my Aura absorbed. Next he brought his long knife around, making to stab at my throat.

I caught the blade with my gauntleted hand, firing off a shell into his arm. I pushed forward, teeth grit as I felt the blades ripping away at my Aura. I brought my knee up into his crotch, catching him off guard. Without missing a beat, I brought my dagger up, jamming it down to the hilt into his neck. His Aura shattered, and the blade easily slipped through his flesh, sending shocks throughout his nervous system, forcing him to spasm and release the blades.

He collapsed to the ground, grasping at his neck as he gurgled and bubbled, dying rather quickly. I was breathing heavily myself, feeling the massive amount of Aura I was missing. I looked up, noting that since the fight had started, the amount of gunfire had subsided significantly.

I took a deep breath and broke into a run at my next target.

The woman saw me coming and released her hold on the rifle, letting it clatter down to the ground. She drew a pair of knives. With crossed blades, she caught my first slash at her with my own knife. I followed up quickly with a heavy punch to her gut. The buckshot ripped into her, sending the woman toppling over, clutching at her gut as she started to bleed out.

I fired another shell into her head, ending the suffering that she would've been subject to.

The rest of the battle was short lived. The White Fang generally lacked Aura, and those that had their Aura could only stand so long against an onslaught where they're outnumbered.

I was out of breath, leaning back against one of the walls of the warehouse. I had run my gauntlet dry of ammunition, and gotten myself covered in more blood than ever before. Despite that, despite all the killing, I didn't feel any remorse. They wanted to raze the city to the ground, we want to stop that. Death is just an occupational hazard.

The lights were flicked on, and I found myself blinded by the sudden onslaught of dim yellowish light that now engulfed the room.

The warehouse was covered in bodies and blood. The majority came from the Fang, but there were still a number of our own who lost their lives here. I swallowed, closing my eyes as I leaned back against the wall still, tapping the flat of my knife against my knee idly.

"Well, that's mission accomplished." The voice of Not-Jerry commented, coming to take a seat next to me.

I nodded. "Any idea of casualties?"

He shrugged. "None of the Faunus got away. On our end, though? About a quarter dead, with another third or more injured in some way."

I opened my eyes, scanning the room. There, I saw the inert forms of our targets. The Paladins, standing silent and unmoving. "That's two. Cinder's got at least another six stashed somewhere, unless Ironwood already has his hands on some."

Not-Jerry shrugged. "We'll get them. Even if we lose some to Ironwood, better to have some than none, right?"

I hummed in response. "We want them all."

"We all know that's unlikely, Jaune. Ironwood has more resources at his disposal. Chances are he gets at least four of the remaining six." Winston pointed out, covered in blood himself, shotgun slung across his back.

I was about to respond, but was cut off.

One of the Paladins started to whir and buzz as it came to life.

I glanced to the two men at either side of me, both off whom looked just as panicked as I was.

The Paladin looked to the three of us and leveled off both of its arm mounted guns at us. The reaction was instant from all of us, we each dove off, away from where we had been as the energy weapons ripped into the wall and ground where we had been not but a moment before.

I growled lowly, heaving myself up and charging at the massive mech. _Fucking hell. One of the Fang got into the mech without us noticing._

Chaos erupted around the warehouse as the Paladin started to ravage the winded and wounded goons. I grit my teeth, drawing both my second knife from its sheath, charging the blade with lightning Dust. I ran straight between the massive mech's legs, skidding as I turned. I leapt up, driving one of the knives deep into the mech's armor.

The pilot started to shift, trying to throw me from him, but I held on with all the strength I had. I heaved myself up, driving the second blade into its leg, ripping the first from its hold. The pilot continued to try and throw me from my hold on the massive mech. Still, though, it fired down onto the unprepared goons who were scrambling to try and find what little cover they could.

One of the mech's rifles shifted into a fist, and it reached back, grasping at me. _Oh, fuck no._ I ripped one of the blades from its hold and threw myself up, abandoning the other dagger as I found myself up on it's back now. _Where is this thing's power supply?_

I took the brief moment of respite to scan the machine, finding what I was looking for. It was a huge battery cell that sat on top of the mech, behind the cockpit. Once again, the hand swung for me, trying to rip me from my hold.

_How am I going to get up there?_ I glanced over towards the massive hand that was grasping wildly after me. _This is such a bad idea._ I thought to myself.

I watched as the hand came around again to try and grab me. This time, I threw myself from the mech, abandoning that knife as well. I landed on the mech's pointer finger, not giving it the time to try and grab me, I leapt, grabbing hold of one metal bar. I swung myself up, keeping a firm grip on the bar.

The pilot was flailing wildly, focused on me more than the other goons now. I took a deep breath, deploying the gauntlet on my right hand. _Now or never._

I let go of the bar and threw myself at the back of the power cell, scrambling to find some sort of purchase. My right hand caught onto one of the metal clasps that held the power to the mech, firing off a shell into the air.

I heaved myself up, grabbing on with my left hand as tightly as I could. Without hesitation, I fired off four shells into the power cell. The buckshot pinged off it uselessly.

The mech got hold of me, and rather quickly threw me across the room.

I collapsed; my Aura completely shattered as I slammed into the far wall. The room started spinning around me, and I was only vaguely aware of the pain that came from, well, everywhere as I laid where I had been thrown.

I could only vaguely make out the sound of someone shouting loudly before unconsciousness claimed me.

[-/-]

"Jaune? Come on, kid. Wake up, damnit." A gruff voice commanded from the darkness.

My eyes felt heavy – heavier than they've ever been before. I couldn't really feel anything. It was almost like I was floating somewhere in the endless darkness.

I tried to move, feeling as pain radiated from where I attempted to shift what was supposed to be my leg. I groaned.

"That's it. Wake up, kid." The gruff voice commanded again, sounding somewhat familiar.

I steeled myself and tried to move once again, feeling as pain lanced through my whole body again, eliciting another groan.

Slowly, though, I started to force my eyes open. A struggle that made me feel like I was trying to lift ten times my body weight.

I opened my eyes, immediately blinded by the yellow light that lit the room. Once I adjusted to the light assaulting my eyes relentlessly, I found the familiar face of Junior leaning back in a chair next to the bed I had been laid up in.

He grinned at me, nodding his head. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Jaune."

I smiled weakly, trying to speak only to find that my throat was incredibly dry.

He leaned over and held a glass up to my lips, letting me take a few small sips of water.

I groaned, feeling as all my senses started returning to me. My body ached absolutely everywhere, and even the smallest of movements hurt. "What… happened?"

Not-Jerry walked into view then, crouching down. "You tried to play hero is what happened."

I furrowed my brows as I tried to think. "The Paladin…"

He nodded. "Yup. Got ahold of you, and threw you square across the warehouse. Knocked you out in the process of shattering your Aura."

"Broke more than a few bones. You're lucky to have survived at all." Junior commented.

I frowned at that. "How long have I been out...?"

"Three days. Your Aura has been keeping you under while it went about fixing everything." Junior said, leaning back in his seat. "You'll be functional again after a couple more day's bed rest, give or take a few hours."

I grit my teeth as I fought through the pain, pulling myself up into a sitting position, despite the alarm that it was causing Junior and Not-Jerry both. "We don't have a couple days… I've already lost three unconscious." I looked over to Junior. "Anything changed?"

He sighed and shook his head. "You don't know when to quit, do you?" I just smiled as best as I could, still in incredible pain. "The Amity Arena is now overhead, joining the Atlesian Navy."

"And the Paladins?" I pressed.

"We only got one. Thanks to that Fang member in the mech, it was lost to us. We had to destroy it." Not-Jerry explained. "Beyond that, we've secured another since you were knocked out. We know that Ironwood has claimed at least two himself. The last one we're working on finding as we speak."

I nodded, taking the glass of water and downing the rest of it, fighting back my stomach's urging to vomit. "Right… Anything from Cinder?"

Junior shook his head. "Assuming she'd try to contact you by scroll, nothing. Though an unknown number has tried to call you a few times that we've just ignored."

I pursed my lips. "Hand me the scroll, then."

Junior shrugged, knowing that there wouldn't be any talking me down. "Alright, here." He said as he handed it over to me.

He got to his feet and stretched. "I've got a business to run. If you need anything, just shout. There's a couple of my men at the door."

I nodded, watching as both Junior and Not-Jerry filed out of the room.

I looked down at my scroll, noting the two missed calls, both from the same number. It was well past three in the morning currently, but that didn't matter. If whoever it was needed to contact me, they'd just deal with lost sleep.

The scroll rang a few times before it was picked up.

_"…Hello?"_ The all too familiar voice of one Ruby Rose murmured out, clearly still half asleep.

I felt my heart leap into my throat. This wasn't a conversation I was interested in having, not right now. _You can't run and ignore her forever, Jaune._ I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Hey, Ruby."

I was met with silence on the other end. Silence that set me on edge, and had me somewhat afraid of what I was about to endure. _"Jaune…?"_ She asked tentatively, sounding far more awake now.

"Yeah, Red. Been a while, hasn't it?"

_"I… You…"_ She trailed off, trying to collect her thoughts, probably. _"Why, Jaune?"_

I ran my fingers through my hair, closing my eyes. "Straight to the point." I laughed mirthlessly, feeling as pain radiated through my chest, making me wince. "I know whatever answer I give won't be enough, but here goes."

I took a deep breath, wincing slightly as I let it out. "I didn't have a choice. To do nothing and be complicit in what happened was for the greater good… It gives me a chance to stop everything, not just the Breach." I hated myself for that reasoning. Thousands dead, all for the greater good. Thousands who didn't deserve to die so others could live.

The silence on the other side of the line was telling. _"Stop everything? You mean… There's more coming? This isn't it?"_ Her voice was nervous, on edge. Maybe even fearful.

That sent a different kind of pain lancing through my chest, but I pressed on. "The Breach was only the first act of a longer show."

_"You helped kill thousands of innocents… Thousands of people with families and lives of their own… All for the greater good?"_

"If it sounds awful, that's because it is. I fucking hate myself for that – for being complicit in murdering all those people. If there were another option, I would've taken it in a heartbeat." I sighed, shaking my head. "This was the only way. At least, the only way I saw."

_"What about Yang? Was that the only way, too?"_ She asked, accusation heavy in her voice.

I flinched slightly at the anger I could hear bubbling beneath her tone. "I… Fuck, I don't know, Ruby. I did what I could. I could've killed her – I could've kept her as a hostage. Instead, I gave her the best opportunity to escape and live as I could."

_"How generous, Jaune."_ The sarcasm dripping from her voice palpable, with the anger still bubbling beneath, ready to surge forward at any moment. _"You said that the Breach was only the first part. What's next?"_ She demanded.

"I wish I knew." I closed my eyes. "Anything I tell you would just be me grasping at straws."

_"Let me get this straight. You killed thousands of people, just so you can stop something you don't even know about?"_

I braced for impact. "Yeah, that's about the case."

_"God damnit, Jaune."_ She said, sounding like she was about to break. _"God fucking damnit. I want to hate you, you know that? I really do. I want to hate you for breaking my sister. I want to hate you for being part of all that senseless murder. But I can't."_ She laughed, her barrier breaking down quickly. _"I can't hate you, no matter how hard I try. I can't hate the criminal mastermind behind the killing of thousands and the cause of chaos in Vale."_

She took a shaky breath. _"And it's all because I know that's not you." _She laughed again; her barrier shattered now as I thought I heard her crying quietly. _"That's not Jaune Arc – not the one I know. The Jaune I know wouldn't hurt a fly unless he had no choice. The Jaune I know would rather die than see his friends hurting."_ She took another shaky breath. _"He'd go out of his way, willing to trade his life for even a chance to save one of his friends."_

I swallowed nervously, now sure that I could hear her crying quietly on the other side of the scroll. "It's okay, Ruby." I murmured quietly. "You can't bring yourself to hate me, but that's fine. I hate myself more than enough to cover us both."

_"Shut up, Jaune. Shut the fuck up."_ She responded.

I clamped my lips shut, forced to sit there and listen as she slowly began to regain her composure.

I lost track of time, sitting on my bed, staring at the blank wall across from me. It could've been minutes, or an hour. I would've believed you regardless.

_"I… Just…" _She tried, breaking the silence briefly before trailing off. _"I trust you. I just hope you know what you're doing."_

I laughed mirthlessly, letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "You and me both."

_"And Jaune? Please, please, please. Please be careful."_

I smiled slightly, nodding. "I will, Ruby. I will."

_"Good."_ She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. _"Goodnight, Jaune."_

"G'night, Ruby." I said, ending the call.

I set the scroll down on the nightstand next to the bed, still more than aware of the pain that was ever present all over my body.

I slunk down, closing my eyes. I let out a long sigh.

I heard my door creak open, and then close softly. I opened my eyes, looking towards the door. Neo was stood there, looking me over with a critical gaze.

I smiled at her, shifting over in the bed made for one.

She came and sat on the edge of the bed, clasping one of my hands in hers, squeezing slightly before withdrawing her hand again.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm fine."

She shook her head, taking out her scroll and typing a message to me. _That's not what I'm worried about._

I tilted my head slightly. "What's up?"

She pursed her lips and typed another message. _Do you think that we'll succeed?_

"We have to. If we don't, everything goes up in hellfire."

She shook her head. _You're right, but not what I meant. I meant us, Jaune. Me and you._

I blinked, not completely sure I read what she said right. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we?" Part of me knew where this was going, but wouldn't accept it.

She paused for a moment, typing up her response. _I don't know why we wouldn't, but I also don't know why we would. Face it, the truth is we hardly know each other. We're basically just screwing because we can. There's nothing big behind it other than mutual attraction._

I bit down on my lower lip, groaning as I shifted to be in a seated position again. "I…" I didn't know what to say. What _do_ you say to that?

She just shook her head. _I've been thinking over the past few days. Maybe, until everything has been dealt with and we both have the free time, we should take a break. Don't get me wrong. I like you, Jaune. I really do. I just don't think now is the best time for either of us. We've both got more than enough to think about. Maybe once we're not the ones stopping the destruction of Vale we can see where this goes._

I blinked a few times. I didn't want to be right about what I was reading, but there was no mistaking it. I took a deep breath, wincing as I let it out slowly. "I…" I blinked back the tears that were threatening to break out over me. "Maybe you're right." I managed out.

She smiled warmly at me, intertwining her fingers with mine. _Hey, it's okay. This isn't the end – just an intermission._

I nodded, still fighting back the urge to cry. She pulled her hand from my grasp gently and got up, pocketing her scroll. She glanced back at me and smiled as best she could, but I could see the cracks starting to take root.

She offered a small wave as she slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Once she was gone, I let the tears fall freely, but kept my mouth shut. _She's right. You have more important things to think about. She'll still be here when this is all over._

I fell back to the bed, groaning again as I made impact.

I felt the tendrils of sleep reach out to claim me, and I accepted with open arms, tears still streaming slowly down my cheeks.

* * *

**Welp. I'm just, uh, going to leave this here and go hide in my nuclear bunker. _Please don't murder me._**

**Reminder, for those of you who haven't voted on the poll yet, go vote! It's important.**

**And now, over to Jimmy with the reviews.**

**Luine Mercury - He's doing well, but there is definitely a load of self-hate involved. Things are moving quick, and in reality, they don't slow down for the, at this point, unknown number of chapters left. You, though, are the only one who predicted that Jaune's chat with Ruby would go okay. Well, okayish.**

**typhonyx - That would've been amusing to see Jaune accuse Oz of forcing his hand earlier than expected.**

**Greer - Yeah, we'll get to see what his family thinks soon™. Glad you enjoyed the interaction last chapter. I thought it was great fun.**

**Blue Barn Owl - They might want Jaune's head on a pike because of casualties and they think it's his fault, but they can't do anything for fear of the almighty Cinder.**

**Dino Guy - Well, here's the raid, and some aftermath. Who knows, Cinder might just rely more heavily on Emerald because of Merc being gone rather than trusting Jaune at all. Only time, and more chapters, will tell.**

**OhSchitt - She won't. I've been asked that a few times and always said maybe, but the plot is so tight now that I kinda flat out don't have the time to even try and write in anything like that. We're gonna be moving quick here pretty soon.**

**X3 - Yuuuup. Jaune knows he can't rely on Oz for shit. Like I've said, I always wanted to see our characters adapt and change their arsenal. If I were super dedicated to it, I could've made others change, and I still can actually. The only ones who haven't are Roman, Neo, and Junior, really. But Junior isn't a huge fighter himself, Roman just hasn't been disarmed, and Neo, well, I have no excuse other than fear of being stabbed through the eye.**

**Engineer - Hey, if it looks better, it is better. Don't look too deep into it, and you'll be fine. What you don't know can't hurt you... Joke aside, yeah, Jaune is still terrified and pushing for information. I'm glad that the attempted comedy actually landed. Qrow being blindly loyal always made me question everything. Particularly, why? Qrow is smart, and in general, smart people aren't blindly loyal. They at least think for themselves a bit. Oz did make a good point, and then destroyed it with his decision on who to send. Oops. The bugs are good, definitely. Just gotta hope they get anything useful.**

**Imperial Germany - Welp, we went from calmer back to chaos and hell. Sorry, not sorry. The rest of the story is going to be hectic as hell, honestly. There might be another chapter or two of just quiet, but that's only a maybe.**

**cbustroyer - I've thought about it, yeah. I've got some one-shots rattling around in my head, one of which is Lancaster based. I might write it, I might not. Hard to say, really. And a Jaune x Neo kid. Hmm. I'll get back to you on that one. Eh, I'm not a fan of Rosegarden, but I suspect that a lot of that comes from my not exactly caring much for Oscar's character either. To me, he feels a little shoehorned in, but if Ozpin's creep factor vanished, it might be cute. Maybe.**

**Glover - Kind Cinder is all the red flags raised at once, and then tripled. At least. Well, he just had his meeting with Ruby, so that's a thing.**

**King Of Clubs - I mean. Huh. I can see how you'd get that idea, but no. She's trying to unnerve him.**

**Azrael Saint - Yeah, they're all supposed to be samey, sorta. Jaune is going to have to keep his guard up around everyone, period. Though Emerald x Mercury is probably one of my favorites, but that's because I really like Merc despite what this story may lead you to believe. His concept is great, but just not really used a lot, I guess. Dunno. Ironwood, though. Ironwood was NOT happy that Jaune was in control of everything, and I loved it.**

**Thanks, Jimmy.**

**Like I said to Luine, my outline is just all kinds of screwed up because I've added in new chapters and even a complete story arc early on. So while my outline says we've got 2 more chapters left after this, my outline also thinks that we're in the middle of the Battle for Beacon when it hasn't even started yet. My guesses have been completely off as to how many chapters we'll have, so I'm just gonna say I'll wing it on numbers until we get closer to the end and I get a better idea.**

**Next chapter, another raid for a Paladin, and dealings with Cinder. It'll be a grand ol' shit show for the ages.**

**Next Chapter - Friday, August 23rd**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	32. Chapter 32

**It's Friday, my dudes. That means more Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 32]

Two more days had passed in general quiet. The race to find the last Paladin was still on between Junior and Ironwood with no prize in sight yet.

Junior was right, loathe as I am to admit it. Despite what I thought, I wasn't exactly able to push through all the pain that I was in. I could stand and hobble around, not to mention shout orders at goons. But anything more than that? I quickly turned into a quivering heap on the floor, practically unable to move. The Twins found that particularly amusing.

Regardless, I was now a fair bit more able. My body was still sore just about everywhere, and I knew my wounds weren't completely healed, but it was better than nothing. I could stand my own in a spar again, so that was a plus at the very least.

Now, though, I sat alone in the room that I had commandeered as my own over the past few days. A bottle of whiskey clutched tightly in one hand as I leaned back against the few pillows I had. Hung on the bedpost at the foot of my bed was The Virtuoso. The silent companion I'd made somewhere along the way – always watching, waiting, and planning.

I laughed quietly, taking a long swig from the bottle, closing my eyes and resting my head back against the wall. "God, of all the things you could've done, Jaune. Of all the things that could've happened – you go and get yourself tied up in a terrorist plot to end Vale." I shook my head, taking another swig from the bottle.

"Not only that, but you get caught up playing commander, too. People look to _you_ for guidance and a course of action. _You_ are the one who has to balance the tenuous relations with Ozpin and Cinder." I laughed bitterly. "_You._ The simple teenager who couldn't be a Huntsman. The kid who was always bullied and good for nothing back home. It's all riding on you – Jaune Arc the criminal, the commander, The Virtuoso, and the murderer."

I slammed my head back against the wall, feeling a sharp pain shoot forward into my temples. "Everyone is looking to you. Everything – your life, their lives, all the people of Vale. They're all relying on you, know it or not, to protect them."

I opened my eyes again, the whole world definitely spinning more than it should around me, but I couldn't be assed enough to care. I found my gaze tracking to the Virtuoso. _"And you will. We will."_ A cold metallic voice responded.

I froze for a second. "The fuck…? Was that another voice?"

_"It was."_ The voice responded, and I damn near jumped out of my skin. _"Have some faith. You organized the raid for these Paladins. You combatted a Huntress far beyond your caliber, and won. You engaged with a robot the likes of which the world has never seen, and won. Even those who would have been your peers cannot stand against you – against us. Together, we cannot be stopped."_

_What… who…_ I shook my head. _No, it can't be. I've got to be imagining things._ I eyed the Virtuoso carefully, almost as though I were expecting it to start moving of its own free will. Unsurprisingly, the mask didn't move. The visage didn't change. Only the cruel grin and cold, calculating gaze were present. It took me a moment, but I just shook my head again, taking another long swig from the bottle. "You're fucking losing it." I muttered quietly.

I felt my scroll buzz rather annoyingly in my pocket. I grumbled, though dug it out to answer, finding that the screen was more or less a blur of color. "Go ahead." I managed out.

_"Ah, Jaune. I was wondering if you'd answer my call."_ The all too familiar and unnerving voice of Cinder cooed out from the speaker. Even now, I could hear the sickening honeyed words laced with venom. _"I have something to discuss with you – something I'm sure you'll want to hear about."_

I rolled my eyes. "Get to the fucking point, Cinder. Tell me when and where." I spat out, not all too interested in dealing with her antics.

The woman just laughed melodically – a sound that made my skin crawl. _"Come now, Jaune. There is no need to be so hostile – we're all friends here."_ She purred out, a grin almost assuredly on her lips.

"When, and where." I growled out, feeling like my blood was set alight as it ran through my veins.

_"Tomorrow, at this time. Hmm, somewhere private, no? Perhaps I should come to you. You're holed up in The Club, if I'm not mistaken?"_ She asked with a tone of voice that said she already knew she was right.

I licked my lips. "Fine."

_"Excellent. Oh, and please do be sure to bring Neo along with you. I'm sure that this will greatly interest her as well."_ She paused briefly. _"Until then, Jaune."_

The scroll call ended with a soft click from the speaker, and I sighed, feeling my body slowly start to relax. I tossed the scroll to the end of the bed, watching as it slid easily over the blanket and down onto the ground with a soft thud.

I shrugged, not caring all that much for the discarded piece of technology. I leaned back into the pillows that were acting as support for me, finishing off the last of the whiskey. "Something I'll want to hear about, eh? It'll be something relating to her plan. That's the only thing is could be, really."

I closed my eyes, still leaning back against the wall. "Of all people... It has to be me." I laughed bitterly.

There was a soft knocking at my door before it was opened up to reveal Junior standing in the doorway. He took a moment to glance at the bottle in my hand, as well as the others that had been scattered throughout before looking back to me. "Get up. We've got news on the last Paladin."

I nodded. "Right… Right." I tossed the empty bottle aside as I heaved myself up to my feet. Rather quickly, I found that the world was spinning on a whole different level than I was used to. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, rolling my shoulders back as I got accustomed to how much things were shifting.

I stumbled forward, slowly starting to find my footing. Junior just shook his head and made his way out from the doorway. I swallowed, pushing forward to follow after Junior.

The first thing that struck me was how bright it was out in the hallway. I shielded my eyes as I followed behind Junior, stumbling a bit. I was more than aware that I probably looked like a train wreck, but that's because I am.

After a few minutes of stumbling along behind Junior, I was led into the rigged-up conference room we had been using over the past few weeks. All the usual suspects were there, aside from Jack who was missing, along with Neo.

Not-Jerry was there, a cup of coffee in his hands as he looked down over a map and some blueprints. He looked up once I came stumbling in and smiled slightly. "Well, now that we're all here." He came over and handed me the two thirds full cup of coffee.

I smiled thankfully and took a couple sips from it. Not-Jerry, however, started speaking.

"Right, so, we've found the last Paladin that the White Fang have stored away." He paused briefly. "The only problem is that it's not exactly in a well-hidden place. There's not going to be a snowball's chance in hell that we can get in, get the Paladin, and get out without authorities knowing." He glanced between those of us gathered.

I frowned, slowly connecting dots. "You're saying that once we get in there, we're dealing with potential VPD interference?"

He nodded. "It's almost a guarantee that they'll get involved. That said, they're not our greatest worry. If we start causing a massive scene, that's going to attract the attention of one General Ironwood." He looked over to Junior. "While I have faith that our boys can handle the VPD and the Fang, if we're adding Atlas soldiers on top, I'm not so sure."

Junior nodded, running his hand over his jaw as he thought. "Right, so we'll want a distraction of some nature. Something that'll draw the VPD and Atlas away from the Paladin."

Not-Jerry nodded. "Exactly. I was thinking – especially considering that we're going to be disguised as Reeves' goons, we start a big fight with another family. Let that stew for a while and draw their attention, and then we hit that Fang compound fast and hard. Get in and get out before everything goes tits up."

I shook my head. "We're on the right track, but I'm not so sure that'll work. VPD might come, but I doubt Atlas will focus their attention on a gang fight." I paused, taking a sip of coffee. "No, it'll have to be something big."

Junior nodded a bit. "The kid is right. Make it a big deal – something that _has_ to have Atlas intervene."

Not-Jerry bit down on his lower lip as he thought. "Make it big…" He narrowed his eyes. "What about the Festival? It's massive, and while the tournament hasn't started yet, the fairgrounds are up and running."

I pursed my lips. "Doing that is practically a suicide mission. While you're right, it'll get Atlas' attention, they'll come down like a ton of bricks on those involved." I glanced over to Junior. "While your goons are well trained, they can't hold off against Atlas' military for long without being completely wiped out."

"I'll do it." The gruff voice of Winston called out from the other end of the table.

I looked over to him and shook my head. "You didn't hear me. It' – "

He just shook his head. "I appreciate the concern, kid. But this is something that's got to happen. No matter what you do to draw Atlas' ire, they'll drop on you like a ton of bricks. Be it at the fairgrounds, or somewhere else."

Junior nodded. "He's got a point."

I furrowed my brows, looking down at the table. "There's got to be another way." I muttered quietly.

Winston shook his head. "Hate to say it, Jaune, but there isn't another way. No matter where Atlas focuses their attention, the people there are going to be fucked, regardless of how skilled they are." He grinned a bit. "Least let me be the one to show Atlas what's coming for 'em."

I sighed, wishing that I could see a way out of this – a way to keep someone from going down with the ship. A way that I just couldn't see. "Alright." I muttered quietly, none to fond of this plan even though I was the one who brought it here.

Not-Jerry glanced over to Winston then. "How many guys you think you'll need?"

He just laughed and shook his head. "Don't bother. I've got plenty of contacts with a few bones to pick on Atlas. Me and my guys, we'll hold them with us as long as we can."

Not-Jerry nodded. "Okay, then." He looked up to me, inclining his head a bit. "We've got a plan, and we've got our target. Now, it's down to us to execute it." He paused briefly. "Anything else to add, Jaune? Junior?"

I shook my head, as did Junior. I sighed, polishing off the lukewarm coffee. "And so, the curtain rises on the final act." I muttered quietly.

_"The actors are in their places, and the show begins."_ The metallic voice of The Virtuoso called out, sounding excited in some twisted way.

[-/-]

I sat in the back of a large black van along with several other goons. Directly across from me was Jack. The poor guy looked exhausted – almost like he hadn't slept at all in the last few days. It wouldn't surprise me if that were the case. Despite that, though, he managed to keep a smile on his lips.

I had a feeling that was more for the rest of us than for himself – he was undoubtably just as nervous and on edge as the rest of us. I mean, who wouldn't be?

It's just past three, and a small legion of criminals are going to execute a raid on the local terrorist cell to secure one of Atlas' greatest military weapons that they're only just now starting to unveil to the public. Not to mention, this warehouse we're raiding? Its not exactly like all the others. Its in the public eye, so anything we do will have the city watching.

I shook my head, leaning back against the wall of the rattling van. _This is all relying on Winston's team drawing as much attention as they can._ It wasn't a perfect plan – hell, it was hardly a good one. It was just the only one we had.

"Two minutes." The driver called back to us.

That got most of the goons shifting nervously. Some started checking their rifles and pistols, others yet were nervously thumbing their swords, glancing around. All of them were afraid. Afraid that this could all go to hell, and they'll go down for nothing.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. _Alright, Jaune. You've got this. You've done bigger and more perilous heists before. This, this is nothing._

"One minute. Prepare yourselves." The driver called back again.

"Listen up, boys. This isn't gonna be pretty, no matter what. Our only objective: get in, get the Paladin, and get out." Jack called out over the small van. We all nodded along. "The Fang won't be ready for this, so we've got an element of surprise. Use it while you can." He sat up more properly. "Shoot to kill, and keep moving. We're on the clock people."

The van came to a screeching halt outside the target, and without hesitation, Jack threw open the rear doors of the vehicle and hopped out. "Now move it!" He shouted out. The rest of us were quick to fall in behind him, practically throwing ourselves out of the vehicle.

The light was blinding, and a sudden change from the relatively dim interior of the windowless van we had been in not moments before. I squinted past it as best I could, finding that the other two vans of goons were offloading their men as well around us.

Then, the gunfire started.

Instinctively, I dove for cover behind the van I had just emerged from, and several goons followed suit. _Into the maw of the beast._ I thought to myself as I unholstered the simple revolver I had been outfitted with.

I peeked out from behind cover, finding that the warehouse we were hitting already had its doors wide open. Several of our men had already pushed forward, taking up positions along the outer walls, while some were using the crates within as cover.

I pulled myself up to my feet and made a run for the center of the warehouse. Bullets were flying all around me, and several would've hit me had I not been in a full-on sprint. I slid down to the ground, slamming into one of the crates in the compound. Crouching next to me was the familiar face of Not-Jerry. "Well, nice to see you made it." He said with a grin.

Before I had a chance to respond, he popped his head out from behind cover and started firing down on the White Fang goons who lacked any real cover. In barely a minute, the compound had gone from quiet to a bullet storm from hell.

The Fang were scrambling for some sense of purchase. Any cover they could find, even if minimal, was better than being out in the open. Those who were faster than most were already returning fire haphazardly.

"Yeah, well, it's not a party till I'm involved." I shot back to my friend as I came to a crouch and peeked out over the crate we were hiding behind. I focused on a girl of average height with long ashen hair. Without a second's hesitation, I took aim down sight, and squeezed off a single explosive shell at her chest.

The girl didn't even have time to scream out in pain as the bullet impacted her head, erupting into a small column of flames. She collapsed down to the ground, dead. I ducked down as a new hail of bullets started raining down on our position.

Not-Jerry glanced over to me. "See you in a bit." He said with a grin as he heaved himself up to his feet. He started firing off several rounds in the direction of the shooter focused on us. He didn't waste any time as he made a run for a different crate nearby.

The rain of bullets on me stopped, and I peeked out again.

What I saw was a man who was around my height, if not a little taller rushing at me. His hair was dark red, with small horns sticking out to boot. His face was covered in a Fang mask.

I hardly had a chance to react as he came rushing at me incredibly quickly.

On instinct, I leveled off the revolver and fired a round straight at his chest. The only sound I received in return was a quiet ping of metal against metal, and the flash of his crimson sword as it quickly became sheathed again.

I dropped the revolver, diving off to the side as he vaulted himself over the crate that had been acting as cover for me. I ripped the katana I had been outfitted with from its sheath and readied it in front of me.

The Faunus kept his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword as he studied me. I took the brief moment to do the same. _Agile, and damn quick to boot. Blocked a speeding bullet with hardly even a moment's notice._

He decided that he'd had enough of me, and charged forward. Before I even knew what was happening, he was on top of me, and his blade came up, making to slash easily at my neck. I dodged backwards, bringing up the katana I wielded just barely in time to catch the Faunus' attack.

He, however, wasn't interested in letting me take the initiative. With one deft move, he pulled his blade from mine, and slipped his way behind me. I felt a lance of pain as he dragged his blade down across my back. Despite that, I grit my teeth, spinning and jamming my elbow right into his jaw.

That had the Faunus stumble ever so slightly, and I pressed my advantage. In my left hand, I deployed the shotgun gauntlet, finding the metal bar from the weapon comfortable in my grasp.

I slashed towards his neck with the katana, and without thinking, he brought his blade up to catch my assault. I stepped forward, dropping the katana entirely as I fired off a shell directly into his chest. He stumbled back ever so slightly, but I kept the assault going.

In my right hand, I drew one of my daggers, activating the Lightning dust that it contained. I made to stab it down into his shoulder, but found myself thrown backwards as he delivered a solid kick to my chest.

I grunted, severely wishing that I could bring my armor along for these heists. I just barely managed to dodge his follow up blow by throwing myself to my right. I came to my feet once again, readying the knife for his next attack.

The Faunus remained where he stood, his lips curled into a slight smirk as he eyed me.

I took the opportunity that I had, and fired off another shell at him, charging forward. Again, I heard a ping of metal against metal. Despite that, I knew that some of the buckshot must've hit him.

I pressed forward, making to slash with my dagger at his throat. He caught the slash with the flat of his sword easily. I grinned at that and activated the Lightning dust, sending massive electric shock into his weapon.

The weapon, and the wielder seemed completely unphased.

He threw me back, and spun his sword in hand easily, eyeing the blade. He turned his focus to me and slashed down in the air.

For a brief second, I thought he had lost it – that she shock had screwed with his perception of the world somehow. Then it hit me.

A thin wave in the same arc that he cut in the air came crashing into me, and I felt as Electricity crackled across my Aura, sending shocks of pain all over my body as my Aura took the blow.

I grit my teeth, just barely managing to catch his flash of movement towards me. On instinct, I threw myself to the right, avoiding his next blow.

And then, right as I thought things couldn't get any worse, they obviously did.

There were several crashes from the ceiling above us, and ropes dropped down. The enxt most obvious thing was the dull rumble of Bullheads hovering overhead.

"Move it Specialists." The familiar voice of one Winter Schnee called out.

I glanced over to my opponent. "Truce?"

He thought for a moment, then nodded curtly.

As that was happening, what I thought to be three teams of Atlas Specialists came dropping into the middle of combat.

What was already a chaotic gunfight turned even more insane.

"Secure that Paladin. Lethal force on all combatants authorized." Winter called out as she came stepping down her glyphs into the middle of combat.

I spared a glance towards the Paladin, and I could see Jack sliding into the cockpit. _Alright, so once he gets out, it's mission complete._

The Faunus I had been brawling with wasted no time in rushing at Winter to see what she had to offer.

While I would've liked the moment of respite, I was caught by another Faunus. The guy was wielding a battle axe in hand, swinging it down over his head to smash my skull in.

Before he even got halfway through his swing, his head became a red crater, splattering me in the process, and sending his body down onto the ground in a heap.

I didn't even bother to look for who had saved me as I shook my head, gripping my knife tightly.

A white glyph formed just beneath my feet, and before I really had a chance to respond, a small legion of ice birds came rushing out, crashing into my Aura.

Winter followed shortly behind, flying at me with Glyph empowered speed. She made to stab her rapier into my chest, skewering me completely.

That, however, didn't happen as I saw her coming and managed to slip off to one side away from her.

She snarled as she readied herself, eyeing me. "Jaune."

I managed a slight smile, glancing over her shoulder at the Faunus I had been fighting breaking free from a prison of ice. "Winter, oh, or should I call you Ice Queen? It's been too long."

She snarled again and rushed at me.

I deflected her rapier off to one side with the flat of my knife, bringing around my shotgun gauntleted fist to deliver a powerful sucker punch to her jaw.

However, she was also prepared. In her other hand was a slim and small dagger that she brought around and jabbed down into my shoulder, digging deep into my Aura.

I spared another glance for the Faunus who had now broken free. He nodded as he started rushing forward.

I grit my teeth, firing off another shotgun shell into her stomach this time.

That made her stumble slightly, and pull the dagger from my shoulder. Before she had a chance to respond, the Faunus came crashing into her, delivering a solid slash across her back. Winter shouted out in pain, evading away from the both of us.

She snarled again. "Of course, you two would be working together." She said as she readied her rapier for our next assault.

He took the first charge, and Winter caught his blade easily, bringing her dagger around to stab towards his neck. I, however, came around her flank, stabbing my own knife down into her right side. I didn't puncture her Aura or flesh, but knew that wouldn't be something she could just shake off.

There was another loud crash now, as the Paladin that Jack had gotten in shouldered its way through a wall. A series of shots that sounded more like artillery fire came after, slowly starting to fade away.

_Mission accomplished. Time to make your escape._ I danced back, away from Winter as she slashed out at me. "You know, Ice Queen, it's been fun. Hate to do this, but I've got to dash. Maybe we can catch up again over drinks?" I taunted.

Winter turned and focused her one good eye into a bone chilling glare. "I don't think so, Arc." She said as several white glyphs formed ranks around the two of us in a small arena. "You don't get away this time."

I licked my lips and readied my knife once again. "Come now, Winter. We saw how this went when you had both eyes. It's not going to be any better this time."

She smirked. "Try me."

_I wonder how well those Glyphs do against Lightning Dust._ I flipped my dagger around and backed up until my back hit one of the glyphs she was using as a wall. "Gladly."

I jammed my knife back into the glyph, and I could see her strain to focus and keep it up. _Interesting. She's got to keep these up, and this is disrupting._

Without warning, I left the knife lodged in the center of the glyph and charged at her.

There was a moment of realization that came just a moment too late. I came crashing into her, sending the both of us back into another of her glyphs. I deployed my right hand's gauntlet, and threw a solid punch into her gut, making her double over.

Without giving her a moment to respond, I brought my knee up, knocking it into her jaw. Winter growled, and the glyphs weakened. She lunched forward, knocking into me and sending the both of us to the ground. She came to be straddling my stomach and tried to bring her knife down into my throat.

I grunted, just barely managing to catch her wrists before the blade plunged into me. "You know, I'm sure Qrow will just _love_ to hear all about this." I taunted.

She growled. "That bastard knew, didn't he?" She asked as she started winning the strength war.

_Not good, Jaune. Not good at all. How are you gonna get out of this?_ I started grasping at straws until my focus rested on my gauntlets.

I grinned. "He knew the whole time." I released her right wrist and curled my grip around the metal bar once again. The dagger came rushing down, but I threw a solid punch to the side of her head, and she came toppling off of me easily.

The woman groaned from her spot on the ground, the glyphs around us shattering. I was breathing heavily as I pulled myself up to my feet, eyeing her. "Like I said, Ice Queen. It's not going to be better."

She spat at my feet, and I sighed. I delivered a solid kick to the side of her head, and she fell unconscious.

I surveyed the field, finding that the fighting was rapidly deteriorating as the Specialists were easily cleaning up the remaining goons and Fang members.

The man I had been fighting was enraptured in a duel with three specialists, and seemed to be struggling.

Without putting much thought into it, I doubled back and scooped up my knife. I rushed towards the Faunus engaged with three Specialists. He flitted his gaze over to me, not offering any sort of acknowledgement as he continued to play the defensive.

I came crashing into the back of one specialist, making her stumble. The Faunus took advantage of that, and in one clean motion, lopped her head off her shoulders.

The other two specialists were stunned, and I took that advantage, firing off a shell into one of them. The Faunus took the other on.

I crashed into him, delivering an uppercut and a shotgun shell into his jaw. He had twin sabers and tried to make some space between us, though I pressed forward, keeping him at a disadvantage.

He dropped one of his sabers and ripped a combat knife free, jamming it down into my shoulder. I felt my Aura strain to absorb the blow, taking it just to the breaking point.

I grit my teeth and brought my own knife around, slamming it down into his neck as I activated the Lightning Dust. There was only a brief moment of resistance from his Aura before the blade easily slipped into his flesh, tearing it apart like it was paper.

I looked over to the Faunus who had just finished dealing with his opponent. He spared me a glance, and then out towards the compound.

Despite our work, there was no winning this fight. There weren't enough Fang and goons left to salvage the situation. His gaze returned to me. "There's no point in an avoidable death. Let's go."

I was hesitant to trust this Faunus, but what choice did I really have? I nodded. "Agreed."

The two of us took off, slipping past the Specialists who were mopping up.

Outside, the entire block was a wreck. A crashed Bullhead was present, and clear signs of the Paladin having fired some of its heavy artillery everywhere.

"I know somewhere we can rest." The Faunus claimed as he led me through a series of back alleys.

I blinked, still not completely trusting of this man. "Why should I go with you?"

He just huffed. "If you want your involvement in this a secret from Cinder, you'd do well to follow me, Jaune."

I ground my teeth together, shaking my head. _This is a bad idea that has trap written all over it._ "Fine."

[-/-]

Two hours, and a shower later, I found myself seated in a cramped apartment deep in the Faunus District of Vale. The space was sparsely decorated – clearly meant more for functionality than aesthetics.

I was sat nervously on a rather uncomfortable couch, across the small coffee table from the Faunus man who had yet to remove his mask. I started chewing on the inside of my cheek, still feeling like this was some nature of trap that Cinder had laid for me.

"So, Jaune. It's been you behind these raids on my people." He said calmly, leaning back into his seat with crossed arms. "Did quite a bit of damage to our cause, along with Ironwood and his lackies."

"We did what we had to."

He inclined his head slightly. "And, pray tell, what was it you had to do?"

I crossed my arms over my chest as well. "Nothing you need to know about."

The Faunus just chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm not sure you understand the gravity of your situation, do you?" He frowned for a brief moment. "You don't even know who I am, do you?"

I shook my head.

He shook his head, a smile still on his lips. "Adam Taurus, White Fang Commander, and member of Cinder's cabal."

I narrowed my eyes. _Adam Taurus… the name is somewhat familiar. Maybe I've heard about him on the news?_

"Now, you _will_ tell me why you've been conducting raids on my compounds." Adam ordered with an air of authority that I'd liken to Ozpin or Ironwood.

I sighed, shaking my head. "What guarantee do I have that you won't just sell me out to Cinder if I tell you?"

He shrugged, a cruel smile on his lips. "None whatsoever. Just depends on if I'm feeling generous, or not."

I bit down on my lower lip. "Very comforting…" I muttered quietly. "We wanted the Paladins. Some of our intel suggested that Ironwood would be hunting them down. We wanted to secure as many as we could before we lost them completely."

He inclined his head slightly. "This we. Who are they? This doesn't sound like Cinder's doing if you're freely killing my people."

"A team of people. People that aren't exactly fans of Cinder's." I responded cryptically.

Adam hummed quietly. "I see. And why is that?"

I licked my lips, thinking. "Let me ask you this: do you know what her plan is? What she's planning to do to this city?"

He shrugged. "Not my problem."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, so it won't be your problem when she heralds a Grimm army into Vale, killing untold thousands of Faunus, including the members of the Fang stationed here? That won't be an issue for you?"

His smile faded, and he leaned forward. "And this is a fact?"

Without hesitation, I nodded. "It is."

He frowned as he thought to himself for a time.

"And now you see what we do. Even if Vale isn't your home, it is home to thousands of your kin. People who don't deserve to die for some mad tyrant's wish to raze Vale to the ground." He didn't seem phased, still lost in his thoughts. I pushed on. "Even if you despise the Council and their rulings, razing this city to the ground is not the answer."

I paused briefly. "Think about this. If the world sees the White Fang helping in the destruction of Vale and murdering of its people, you will forever be labeled terrorists as you are now." I took a breath and let it out slowly. "If you are seen aiding Vale in their time of need – slaying Grimm and protecting civilians, Human and Faunus alike, you could be labeled heroes. You could be given reputation you've never had."

He glanced up at me again. "You're a naive fool if you think that's how the world works. Humans never change – even when we're promised equality, we are treated as lesser creatures. We tried peaceful methods, we tried to bring attention to our cause, but it fell on deaf ears." He leaned back again. "We turned to violence, and action. We became a household name – feared and respected more than we ever were in past."

I pursed my lips. "And you think that fear and respect will change the minds of Humans?"

He nodded. "It is the only thing that has brought us success."

"You're right on one account. Respect will help change people's minds. Fear, however, will only ingrain it in their heads that they're right. Fear will drive them to keep your people oppressed and subdued."

Adam just laughed. "And what do you suggest instead, love and friendship?" He asked mockingly.

I shrugged. "I'm not a psychologist, nor am I a revolutionary. Though, take a small Human village in the country side. They're being assaulted by Grimm. The White Fang is nearby, and have one of two options. One, they slay the Grimm and protect the village rather than seeing the people murdered." I paused briefly. "Two, they threaten to let the village burn unless they are compensated with whatever goods they have."

I leaned back into the uncomfortable couch. "One gains you respect – makes Humans see the Faunus as more than just animals that need to be housed in cages. The other makes them fear you, and while they owe you their lives, you've just reinforced their thoughts that Faunus are nothing more than savages and need to be controlled."

He hummed in response. "Even should we take this mythical first option, Humans won't change. They fear what is different, and will keep us subjugated until we break free ourselves."

I sighed, shaking my head. "They will change, but it will take time. If you can show the world that the Faunus are the same as Humans, with only minor physical differences, they will change. Maybe not in our lifetime, but they will."

Adam glanced out the window, seeing that Dusk was just starting to fall over Vale. "You should be safe to leave, now. The chaos has died down as night settles."

I pursed my lips. "So, does this remain between us?"

"Leave." He responded curtly.

I clamped my mouth shut, collecting my weapons from where they had been deposited at the door. I opened it up, glancing back at him. I thought about saying something, but let it fall. Adam was still looking out over the city of Vale, lost in thought.

* * *

**Well, that was a ride. Definitely a ride to be on. First we've got Jaune starting to lose it and talk to his mask, and then a fight, first with Adam, and then with Winter. Then it wraps up with Jaune trying to convince Adam that working with Cinder is a bad idea.**

**Reminder for those who haven't yet - there's a poll to vote on. Go check it out if you're interested.**

**And now, on to reviews. I am prepared for anger, probably.**

**Fission - Any pipe laying is happening off screen. I don't know that I've ever said it anywhere, but I'm not a fan of smut. One can only write people doing the deed so many ways. And Beneath the Mask is interesting, but not a super good fit for this story. Most of this gets written between Halo 3 ODST's soundtrack and whatever Spotify puts on Green Day Radio.**

**Greer - She's always been super forgiving, hasn't she?**

**Guest (1) - Jaune's dad definitely knows. I tried to make it clear that Yang was alive after the Breach, but to confirm, she is definitely alive. Her being ok is a whole different story, though.**

**Guest (2) - She really does, and refuses to see the bad in Jaune. Papa Arc definitely knows, and you're right. It'll be awkward as hell.**

**Logist - I knew it... They always tell me size doesn't matter, but I knew they were lying! Joke aside, glad you've been enjoying, friend. Neo had her reasons, but the biggest thing is that considering everything they're dealing with? A relationship just has to take the back seat. Beyond that, and Jaune x Ruby? Ehhh, I see your issues, but if enough groundwork is laid, and if I do it well enough, it might be believable. Then again, you've got a point. Jaune is bordering on psychotic right now, and did torture Yang, so who knows? But definitely, their relationship was shallow and because as the moronic Author I am, I didn't add any substance to it, this happened.**

**Bmerocks - Well, greetings, friend. Glad you've been enjoying enough to read through everything in one go. Glad that you enjoyed Jaune, and his personality / how I built his character for this story. And you're right, I've definitely made a few mistakes. While Jaune was phased massively at first by killing, it faded away. My intent was to show that he was growing numb to it, but I guess I didn't pull it off. Oops. And Roman's capture, too. Yeah, he's comfortable without Roman. Maybe a little too comfortable. Part of me justifies that with him having all his other friends around, but you are right. It should've had more of an impact than it did. And Neo is definitely a character I adore, but god, I'll be honest, I sorta hit a wall at some point in this story. A wall that I just couldn't find my way around or through. There's something off, and I agree, but at this point it's a little late to go back and change things. I look forward to hearing more from you!**

**Cody Skater - Yeah, I've recently gone back to those first few chapters, and kinda just go 'huh. Could've done so much more.' To me, it's funny. As I read over the whole story, I can see my writing getting a bit more consistent and better throughout.**

**Engineer - Yeah, mistakes were made. Mistakes we can assume that Not-Jerry learned from when organizing the second raid. And then the Jaune and Ruby chat. That was kinda hard for me to write, because for me at least, that's the kind of thing I have to be in the right mindset to write, and at the time I was struggling. Regardless, though, it worked out. Sort of. And Yang is alive. She did take some more injuries than what Jaune did to her, but no limbs were lost at least. Most of what's got her broken is her mental state. And Neo, well, her actions did have reasons. You've got some decent speculation on why. Jaune will make it, thanks to his new friend The Virtuoso who is talking to him now. Fun.**

**Jim - Neo twisted the knife, and she knew she was going to, but it still hurts. Well, Cinder tension is still building. We get to handle her on Monday.**

**Boerhae - That is one decent thought as to why Neo is backing out suddenly. One I will neither confirm, nor deny the validity of. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, too.**

**Geezuz - *Cowering in fear* Don't hurt me, please. I don't know shit about weapons, really. I was just looking at a few images of one and kinda thought 'that looks slimmer and lighter. Should be faster, right?' And I'll go check out that channel, sounds interesting.**

**X3 - Neo has a lot to think about, and so does Jaune. They've both got a lot more to just deal with than they have in the past. Ruby, bless her heart, refuses to believe that Jaune is the bad guy in this situation. God forbid that Ruby figure out it was Ozzy's fault that Yang had to deal with Jaune. That. That would be bad for Ozzy. Crime bros only got 2 mechs before this raid, and Ironwood got 2. One was destroyed, and this raid was for the last one.**

**typhonyx - So, like I said above somewhere, I fucked up. See, I adore Neo, but somewhere along the line, I hit a brick wall for her character that I couldn't get around or through. That led to stagnation and me not knowing what to do / how to further their relationship. You're right, too. Ruby and Jaune's relationship is a bit more emotionally resonating because I never hit that brick wall, I guess. And I definitely didn't plan Ruby to be this big of a character, even as a supporting member of the cast.**

**Another Stalker - Uhhhhhh, I have no idea if I'm honest. I don't use mobile, but I know for sure it's on desktop.**

**Azetlor the Collector - Well, they found it, and executed the raid. I will point out that we don't know who all survived other than Jaune and Adam.**

**Erwidze - Not a problem, chief. Cinder is keeping him around because she has a plan - one that now involves Jaune in some way. But, you are free to speculate why she keeps him alive. Well, that conversation was supposed to raise some flags and get your attention a little. Even then, Winter isn't much of an option. At least, not in this timeline.**

**Dino Guy - Hard raids keep on getting harder. We only got to see one, because I can only write so many White Fang compound fights before they get samey and boring. And, well, we can see how Jaune's handling it. Talking to his mask and drinking while his mask talks back to him.**

**King of Clubs - You will be sated eventually. There is a plan for some Arc conversation at some point here. See, I could've done that. I didn't, mostly because I wasn't thinking about it. If this ever gets rewritten, a lot has to change and get added.**

**cbustroyer - His mental state. Perfectly stable, right? Talking to your inanimate metal mask is perfectly normal. As is drinking yourself into oblivion... I don't have a problem. Right? Guys? Joke aside, Jaune isn't going to be okay for a long time. He might seem it in combat, or when talking to Adam, but when he's alone it'll show big time. So, if I can't pick Ruby, Neo, or Pyyrha, I've got to go with... Hmm. I'll say probably Blake or Velvet. Honorable mention to Ren. One day, my friend. One day, you'll get your time with the golden knight.**

**Josh Spicer - It was Ozzy's fault in a lot of ways. But you're right, Ozzy taking responsibility? Never. See, I won't justify Neo's actions here. I could, but I won't. She had reasons. Reasons y'all are free to speculate on.**

**Azrael Saint - Jaune just isn't having a good time. At all. It's pretty brutal for him, let's be real.**

**And that's all the reviews.**

**Holy hell, that was a lot to respond to. That said, I don't mind. I was also honestly expecting more rioting over Neo and Jaune 'taking a break', but when I realize how little depth there is in that relationship, it makes more sense.**

**This entire story is a train wreck right now when it comes to outlines. Chapter wise, I should basically be done with only the Epilogue to go. Story wise, we're back around... Chapter 25 according to my outline, and with more characters involved than I planned for in some cases. IE, Not-Jerry, Ruby, Qrow, Winston, and Jack. Yet, when it came around to writing, they all showed up and became important. That said, I'm getting back on track now.**

**Next chapter, we _actually_ talk to Cinder, and then a little more happens. It'll be fun.**

**Next Chapter - Monday, August 26th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	33. Chapter 33

**It's Monday. I went back to college today. Kill me. At least we get Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 33]

After a few more hours of prowling the streets of Vale, and avoiding the rampant forces that were patrolling in search for anyone who might've been involved with the hits that happened earlier today, I found my way back to the Club.

The Club that had once been nothing more than a tacky night club that housed a crime family and a good friend, now was practically my home, my base of power, and my command for this whole insane plot I'd gotten myself tangled in.

The Club was undergoing some construction, currently. Junior was reinforcing everything – bullet-proof windows, strengthening the walls, upgrading locks. From an outside perspective, it might seem rather odd, but not terribly noteworthy. For those involved though, this was only one form of preparation. This was Junior's way of fortifying himself and digging in for what may soon come.

I pushed in through the front doors, only getting a few passing glances and nods from the goons on guard who recognized me. Inside it was a buzz of activity – goons rushing about, each with crates and bags carried alone or between a pair of them.

_They're preparing as best they can. Stock up on ammo, weapons, armor, meds. Anything that might be helpful._ I shook my head, pressing onward to hunt down Junior.

It wasn't long before I found him. He, along with Not-Jerry and Jack were stood around the conference table, looking over blueprints and other plans that they had laid out.

Junior glanced up at me and nodded. "Well, looks like he found his way home, boys."

Not-Jerry glanced up and offered a small smile. "Even though I lost track of you in that fight, I knew you'd find your way back. Takes more than some specialists to take you down."

Jack just chuckled, shaking his head. "Last I saw, you were tangoing with some nasty looking Faunus who was giving you a run for your money. Then Atlas joined the party, and it became even more of a shitshow." He shrugged. "Glad I got out, at least."

Junior nodded. "Mhm. At the least we got the last Paladin." He glanced back down at his plans on the table.

I bit down on my lower lip, thinking to myself for a moment. "So, anyone want to explain to me _why_ exactly Specialists showed up when they were supposed to be occupied elsewhere?"

Junior just shook his head. "I would that I could, kid. Winston, well, he did what he said he was going to. Just before your lot went in, there were a series of explosions down at the fairgrounds." He frowned for a moment. "If the news reports are to be believed, no civilians were killed in the conflict – though the attackers did injure a large number of them, along with killing well over a dozen of Atlas' actual soldiers, with untold numbers of Robots taken down, to boot."

I rubbed at my chin, throwing myself into a chair and leaning back heavily. My feet were killing me, and I wasn't intent on standing with them if this were going to be a long conversation. "So, Winston actually conducted a raid, yet we still had to deal with Atlas. Why?"

"Well, if you ask me, it's not impossible that Ironwood found that compound, too. It's been all over the news that the famous Winter Schnee has been leading the raids to obtain the Paladins, and has been successful in each one she set out to claim." Jack reasoned. "My guess? Her specialists were headed to deal with the big guy and his deal over at the fairgrounds, but caught wind of our little sting on the Fang." He chuckled. "Wasn't exactly like we were being quiet or covert."

I hummed, drumming my fingers on the table. "So, you think it was just shit luck?"

He shrugged. "That'd be my best guess, yeah."

Junior shook his head. "Feels a little too convenient for my taste."

"Then what's your theory?"

"That's just the issue – I don't have one to offer up. Maybe you're right, and it was all just bad luck. Maybe it was a setup, and we've got another mole to deal with."

I shook my head. "I doubt that quite a bit. Ozpin might be far reaching, but I doubt he could easily get someone in the room with us to hear the plans."

Not-Jerry narrowed his eyes, thinking on something. He reached over the table and grabbed a scrap of paper, along with a pen, writing out a message. _Has anyone searched this room for bugs? _"So, what? We just chalk it up to bad luck?"

I shook my head, as did Junior and Jack. I fought back the urge to groan out loud. It was something so simple, and something we should've thought about. After all, we bugged them. It would only be a reasonable thought to think they'd do the same.

Beyond that, I caught on to what Not-Jerry was doing. It was more of a precaution – just in case we were right, our suddenly going silent would tell them far too much.

_Then spread out and start searching. We want that thing gone._ He wrote out. "Like I said, not exactly like I've got a better explanation than a rat in our midst." Junior was clearly catching on as well, proving that his experience was valuable.

I frantically shook my head, getting all of their attention. I took the pen and paper from Not-Jerry and wrote out my idea. _Search the room, yes. If we find it – leave it. We can use it to our advantage – start feeding them false information._ "Say you're right, then. Any idea who it could be that's a rat? There are only so many of us in here."

Everyone nodded at that.

And thus, the hunt for a planted bug was on.

Junior sighed. "Well, let's see. For each planning meeting, all of us, along with Winston are there. We can rule Paul out – if he were an inside source for Ozpin or even the VPD, he could've sold me out ages ago."

The obvious places to check were where the three had been sitting when we had them here. Under the table, on or in the chairs, potentially under them as well. There wasn't much of anything we could rule out – especially if any of them possessed a semblance that allowed them to mask their actions like Neo's.

"I'm pretty sure Jaune is trustworthy as well. Using the same logic you just did, boss, he could've sold all of us out – Roman, me, you, Jack, Winston, Neo. Everyone. If he were the insider, he'd have done something by now." Not-Jerry piped up.

I wasn't the one to find the device – Junior was. He had been in this business longer than we had. While the rest of us had spent time looking where it would've been easily accessible, Junior went for more out of the way areas – places that they shouldn't have had access to.

The bug was found planted on the door frame. While not exactly hidden, if one weren't looking for it, they'd never notice.

_Well, we know how they knew, then._ I wrote out. "And let's be honest here, we know it's not Junior. The man might be Vale's best information broker, but destroying that entire reputation to work with Ozpin just to sell out a few crooks? When he employs them? Hardly seems like a good deal to me."

Junior took the pen and paper for himself, responding. _Then why didn't they intervene in our other raids on the Paladins?_

_They didn't because that would give away their element of surprise, and tell us that they knew a lot more than they should. Only interfering just now, there's a plausible reason that Jack gave us. That's what we'll run with._ "Alright, and what about Jack and Winston? They're relative outsiders."

I nodded, taking my seat quietly once again. "They are, but they've been good friends with Roman. The man with a massive bounty on his head – if they were going to make a move, they'd have sold him out already." I paused briefly. "Not to mention that Winston just went and died for this whole op."

Junior frowned. "Well, the news says he died. What's to say that he didn't just go underground – witness protection?"

Jack chuckled. "Listen, old man. Winston isn't like that. Even if he were a rat – he wouldn't do it. Working with Ozpin would mean working with Ironwood, and since he was responsible for Jess' death, that's not in the cards. He's clean."

Not-Jerry sighed. "Right, so we have reasonable assumption that we're all clean." He shook his head. "I just can't fathom the amount of shit luck it'd take to have Atlas come drop in on us unannounced."

I chuckled mirthlessly, shaking my head. "Come on, man. You've worked with me enough – you've got to know that wherever I go, bad luck follows like the plague."

"Right, and it's a good idea to trust you to lead everything, why exactly?" Junior asked.

I shrugged. "You know, I've been wondering that same thing." I let out a fake yawn. "Well, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me. I can hear a bottle of vodka and my bed calling my name."

"It's been a long day." Jack sighed, looking down at the table with a sad smile. "We won, and Winston paid the price for it. Poor guy – didn't deserve to go out like that. Deserved to live a full life." He got up from his seat and stretched. "I'm headed off, too."

Not-Jerry and Junior made their exits quietly thereafter, joining Jack and I down the hall a bit.

I glanced over to Junior. "Any reason you didn't think to search for bugs after they left?" I accused, somewhat irritated.

He raised his hands in defense. "Listen, kid. We searched 'em pretty thoroughly – I thought they weren't' getting a damn thing past us. Never crossed my mind that they might."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. What matters now is that we know." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Now that we know, we can plan accordingly – lead them down a wild goose chase if we need to."

Not-Jerry clapped me on the shoulder. "Say, Jaune. I noticed that you were caught up in some sort of small arena with that Winter bitch while I was making my escape. I wanted to help, but staying meant risking my neck, and you handled her last time." He paused briefly. "How'd you get out? And what took you so long? You pull off some great and daring escape from the clutches of Atlas forces?"

Junior waved for us to follow him as he led the trio of us out into the main room that was filled with goons buzzing about still, along with many sitting at tables and booths – enjoying drinks and their dinners with friends. The Twins weren't far off, helping goons move things, too.

The four of us found a booth, and Junior left to go get us something to drink, likely.

"Well, it wasn't nearly as glamorous as that." I said, leaning back in the booth and letting out a contented sigh. "I fought against Winter again – beat her down to the ground thanks to a few lucky hits, and her being distracted." I chuckled, shaking my head. "She's got a temper, and if you can set it off, she becomes a fair bit more reckless."

Junior returned with a bottle of whiskey and four glasses, handing them out to each of us as he filled them up.

I downed the entire glass in a single shot as soon as Junior handed me mine. "But before she showed up, I was fighting this Faunus guy. Big dude, moves fast as a speeding bullet and wields a crimson sword to match his hair. Real edgy looking." Not-Jerry and Jack both nodded. "Right, well, I'm not sure why exactly, but after I beat Winter, I went and saved him."

Jack frowned, taking a sip from his glass. "Why would you do that? Those animals don't give a shit about you."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. But, well, I dunno. Like I said, I don't really know why." I shook my head, pouring myself another glass. "That's aside the point. He and I, we fought off a few more Specialists – this dude cut one girl's head clean off. I'm not even sure how damaged her Aura was."

I knocked back my second glass, pouring myself a third. I was more than aware of the concerned looks I was getting from my three friends, but I honestly couldn't care less at this point. "After we dealt with the specialists, we fled together. Guy took me deep into the Faunus district – let me get cleaned up and hide from the VPD for a while."

I sighed, taking a moment to examine the amber liquid in my glass before tossing it back like it were mere water. "Does the name Adam Taurus mean anything to you guys?"

Everyone nodded, but Junior was the one to speak up. "Terrorist extraordinaire, and poster child for the militant Faunus of the world. Rumor is that he originates from Atlas, and that's where he started his whole militancy." He shrugged. "At some point, the Atlas Military chased him and his cronies out, and I guess they ended up here in Vale." Junior narrowed his eyes at me, frowning slightly as he took another sip from his glass. "And you just sat down and had a conversation with him, didn't you?"

I pursed my lips, nodding. "Yep. He strong armed me into it. Knew that at basically any point, he could cut me down in an instant, and used that against me." I sighed, pouring another glass for myself, and Jack who had finished his first. "He knows about Cinder. Claims to be part of her little cabal of evil, and knew who I was, too."

I leaned back in my seat, looking up at the vaulted ceiling high above us. "Basically, demanded to know what was going on – why we were raiding his compounds and stealing his Paladins." I glanced down at the others then. "He knows everything."

The alarm was evident amongst my friends, but most obvious was on Not-Jerry's face, which had twisted into an expression of horror. "Okay. Great, fantastic. This is fine, don't panic. We can handle this." He was clearly starting to panic.

Before things got out of hand, I continued. "Before everyone starts jumping to conclusions and wants to start plotting his assassination, just hear me out." Everyone nodded. Jack seemed alarmed, though remained calm. Junior, kept his face relatively stoic, lips curled only into the slightest of frown.

I knocked back another glass of whiskey and started the explanation. "From what I could piece together about him, and what he told me, he's not exactly pleased to be working with Cinder. He's just as in the dark as we are." I set my glass down, glancing between my friends quickly. "He's a revolutionary, first and foremost. He wants his people to be treated as equals – at least, that's what it seems his goals are. I pointed out that helping Cinder with his cause won't exactly bring fame or recognition to his organization. Beyond that, it would mean killing all of the innocent Faunus who he's trying to fight for."

"And? Did he see reason in your words?" Jack asked from right next to me, brows raised.

I shrugged. "I don't honestly know." I let out a bitter laugh. "I can't get a read on him. That said, though. When I left, he looked troubled. Almost as though he were weighing two thoughts in his mind." I glanced over and met his gaze. "Until he's made a decision, I'm willing to bet we're safe."

Junior grunted. "I don't like this, Jaune. We're betting everything. Our plans – the Paladins, our lives. Everything we've worked for. We're betting it all on him not selling us out to the wicked witch from hell. If you ask me, we'd be better off dealing with him before he causes issues."

Not-Jerry shook his head. "Sorry, boss, but I don't agree. You're right, we're gambling, and we're gambling big." He glanced over towards me briefly. "But really, what other option do we have? We don't know what Cinder is planning, not really. All we've got is us, all of our forces and smuggled weapons, a few strongholds in the city, and three Paladins." He polished off his glass of whiskey and set it down. "We don't know what we're going up against. Whatever it is, Grimm invasion or something else entirely, it's probably not enough." He looked back to Junior. "If we keep playing it safe, our odds won't get any better, and defeat is just as likely. If we gamble, and let Adam live, we might get a bit more favor."

Jack nodded. "He's right. If Adam decides to turn on Cinder whenever Judgement Day comes, and even if he only takes a small amount of the Faunus with him, discord in their ranks and more forces on our side are always welcome."

Junior started chewing on his cheek, sipping at his whiskey as he glanced between us. "And if this gamble fails? We're all ratted out to Cinder. All of our plans, gone. Us, gone. Vale's best hope, gone. She'll have won."

I nodded. "You're right. It's one hell of a risky play, but it's the only one we have."

A slow sigh exuded from the large man. "Okay." He looked over the three of us. "I only hope that you're right about this, Jaune."

I chuckled quietly, no joy or happiness to be heard; only apprehension and a hint of fear. "So do I."

Everyone started quietly making their way from the booth, leaving just Junior and I sat there. "She's coming here, tonight." I commented.

He pursed his lips, nodding. "Right. Something about the big deal with you and Neo."

I ran my fingers through my hair again, eyes closed. "God, I'll admit, I'm fucking scared, Junior." I laughed coldly. "First, I get the shit kicked out of me because I've got some sort of fucking hero complex and thought I could single handedly take down a Paladin. Then, I get to deal with a scroll call from Ruby."

He frowned. "That little redhead that Baxton took hostage?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Funny, right? She and I, we're still… I don't know that we're friends, but she'll at least talk to me." I blew a puff of air out of my nose. "She claims that she doesn't hate me for what I've done. I lied to her, I broke her sister, I killed thousands." Another bitter laugh clawed its way from my throat. "And yet, she claims she can't hate me when I hate myself for all that and more."

Junior didn't respond, so I pressed on.

"And not just that, either. After that, Neo comes in. Claims she 'wants to take a break.'" I rolled my eyes. "I just… I don't even know what to say about that. I mean, sure she's right that in truth, we didn't really know each other super well. We slept together, we worked together, and we lived together. But now, she's backing out because there's more important things to focus on."

I slammed my head back against the wall. "Not just that, but get this, my mask? I can fucking hear it whispering to me. That cold voice – a voice that should be sinister and bone chilling? I find comfort in it – a sense of calm and reassurance." I laughed, shaking my head. "And to top it all off, the icing on the fucking shit cake, is that despite all that, everything still rides on my shoulders."

I looked over to Junior who was quiet, studying me, a look of concern on his face. "Everything – all of our plans, our big gambles, our one link of information, and our damn lives. It's all riding on me – the seventeen-year-old fuckup with a drinking problem and a talking mask only he can hear." I laughed, feeling as my composure shattered completely, tears welling up in the corners of my eyes.

Junior sighed, coming over and taking a seat next to me. He didn't say a word, only wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and pulled me into his side in a comforting hug of sorts.

The flood gates were released as I let out the tears. "I can't do it… I… It's all just… Fuck." I mumbled out through the quiet tears that continued to stream down my face.

Junior sat there and let me just let it out for a little while before speaking up. "Listen, Jaune." He said quietly. "I… Oh, fucking hell, I'm no good at this." He muttered, more or less to himself. He sighed, starting again. "You're not alone, alright? Yeah, you might bear the weight, but that doesn't mean you can't share with the rest of us." He paused briefly, probably thinking through his words. "All of your friends – me, Paul, Jack, Neo, probably even Qrow. We're on your side. All of this stress, you don't have to bear it alone. We're here to help."

I took a rather shaky breath, failing miserably at composing myself. "Everything… Relying on me… It was all on Roman before, wasn't it?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "He always seemed so… carefree. Like nothing in the world was going to bother him. He handled it all, and never let a crack appear." I sucked in another shaky breath. "And now… He's up there, somewhere. Trapped in some Atlas ship. Watching and waiting – waiting for Neo and I to release him."

I slowly started to regain myself, though tears were still slowly streaming from my eyes. "It should be me up there, enduring the wrath of Ironwood and Winter. It should be me sitting and waiting. I should've forced Roman to stay back so I would be captured."

Junior shook his head. "Roman might always seem carefree and fine, but it's an act. Just like the one you put on for the rest of us." He paused for a moment. "Yet, in spite of what he knew was coming, he chose you. He chose you to be his apprentice – he chose you to run this whole operation, sacrificing himself in the process. He chose you to lead us to victory against Cinder." He sighed, letting silence reign for a time. "He's got faith in you, Jaune. He doesn't care how you perceive yourself – he sees the same things I do."

Junior glanced down at me, getting me to meet his gaze. "When we first met, the only thing you had was determination. I saw it, Roman saw it, Neo saw it. We all did. We watched you grow from a nobody off the street into something respectable. Where most would've left that little redhead to die, even if she were a friend, you stuck your neck out, regardless of the risk."

He sighed again, shaking his head. "What I'm getting at is that you're not a fuckup, Jaune. You can see things and plan for and react to them far faster than I can, or anyone else I know can. If anyone is going to find their way out of this impossible situation, we're in, it's you. Not me, not Roman, not Paul – you. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. There's nobody else in all of Remnant that I'd trust to stop Cinder, other than you; the seventeen-year-old protégé, tactician, strategist, and planner, Jaune Arc."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Deep down, part of me accepted that what he was saying was true. I was having a hard time reaching that deep. "Even then…" I muttered. "Even then, the odds are so stacked against us. Against me… I don't see how I could win."

Junior released me and stood up, glancing down at me. "Even so, you at least have to try."

I nodded.

Junior just smiled and turned, walking off, into the Club.

I took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright… Now, to deal with Cinder." I muttered as I pulled myself up to my feet and made towards my room to get changed.

It was a long night ahead, and I needed to be prepared.

[-/-]

I was sat behind Junior's desk, feet kicked up. I had my arms crossed over my metal breastplate, jangling with the grenades that hung off the simple leather bandolier. Laid on the table in its rifle form was Crocea Mors, fully loaded and prepared. My daggers had their Dust crystal changed, now from Lightning to Ice – both of which were sheathed safely behind my back. Both gauntlets were fully loaded – the right with regular buckshot, and the left packed with explosive rounds. Covering my face was the ever-comforting mask of The Virtuoso – content to hide my real emotions in exchange for a cruel smile.

Standing just behind me, and a bit to the right was Neo. The short assassin looked impassive, arms crossed, and parasol ready, well within her reach at a moment's notice.

Sat before me was none other than Cinder Fall – still, she looked completely at ease and unaffected by Neo's and my combat readiness. Her signature saccharine smile was painted over her lips. A smile that was meant to unnerve, but failed to breach to shield that The Virtuoso provided.

"I must say, this is quite the upgrade from the dumps I've used as headquarters before. So very clean, well-guarded, and fortified. It almost seems like you're prepared for a siege." She commented, a smile on her lips.

_"Do not take the bait, Jaune. Focus on the task at hand."_ The cold voice of The Virtuoso echoed in my head. Truth be told, I still found it somewhat unsettling that I was hearing a disembodied voice in my head, but it was proving only helpful and guiding, so I started to find it comforting in a way.

"You had something of interest for both Neo and I, or at least so you claimed. What is it?" I asked, voice level and cool.

She hummed, tilting her head slightly. "Ah, straight to the point, as ever." She paused briefly, glancing over to Neo before looking back to me, her amber gaze meeting only the cold abyss the Virtuoso offered. "You know, that's why I always liked you more than Roman. You are a man of action and quick results." She grinned, licking her lips like a feral dog staring down its prey. "Do tell me, how did you get the owner of this establishment to let you in? Perhaps he is a friend?"

_"Still, she tries to bait us. Remain calm. Reveal nothing."_ The voice advised.

"Action yields results. I cannot act without a script." I responded, fighting back the nerves that were threatening to break my cool demeanor.

Cinder just chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, so cold." She turned her attention to Neo. "How do you live with him? Such an icy personality, with no levity in sight." A wolfish grin crossed her lips. "Must be difficult.

I felt the urge to shout and tell her to fuck off, just barely restrained beneath the surface. _"She's toying with us. Trying to make you break your composure. Show her you're stronger than she believes."_

I let out a dramatic sigh, drawing her attention, grin still on her lips as she thought she'd won. "If you wanted only to waste our time, you should have just asked. I'd have set out some tea."

There was the smallest hint of frustration that she couldn't get a rise out of me – seen for only a second before it was once again masked beneath her silky smooth and menacing mask. _"We're winning. Excellent."_

"If you insist as much, I do have a task for the both of you." She stated, settling back into her seat. "One of my compatriots – Mercury Black, is being detained within Beacon Academy's infirmary. You will retrieve him for me." She ordered.

_"She expects to be obeyed without question. Show her that we're the ones with power. Deny her." _The mask advised.

I narrowed my eyes, frowning as I thought. _Is that really a good idea? Denying her sounds like I'm asking to be killed on the spot._

_"If she were able to retrieve him herself, do you not think she would have done so already? She comes to us out of desperation for her lackey's return, disguised as an order from above."_ The voice pointed out.

I elected to listen to the advice I was being given from the disembodied voice. "No."

The effect was instantaneous, and two-fold. First was Neo, who I could tell had snapped her gaze to me in fear and shock at what I'd just done.

Second, and far more interesting, was Cinder. Her face was alight, if only for a brief moment with rage, anger, and even disbelief at my denying her direct order. She knew that her jig was up, and elected to switch gears. She snarled, glaring at me with the heat of a thousand suns, a ball of fire forming in her hand. "I would reconsider, if I were you."

_"Double down. We are in control here."_

I sighed, shaking my head. "I have made my decision. Neither Neo, nor I will go and retrieve your boytoy." I paused briefly. "If that was all, you are dismissed. I have more pressing things to tend to."

The woman who was normally so composed, so confident and assured of herself and her absolute authority, was now looking like a woman on the verge of snapping. The rage was evident in her gaze, one eye was clearly glowing with some nature of latent power. "Give me one good reason not to strike you down where you sit, Jaune Arc."

I inclined my head slightly. "Because you need me. If you didn't, I wouldn't be given the opportunity to defend myself."

Cinder was seething – ready to blast me into an inferno strong enough to melt through concrete. Yet, she held back. The woman took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glaring into the cold, careless chasms that were the Virtuoso's eyes. "You are lucky that I have decided to spare you."

I chuckled. "There was no luck. Only knowledge." I gestured over towards the door. "You are dismissed."

The woman continued to glare at me, almost as though she were debating the pros and cons of setting me on fire, or perhaps making me burn from the inside out. After a moment though, she relented, the fire ball that had been forming in her hand was crushed, and she turned, storming out of the office.

_"Well done. She was easier to anger than I'd have thought. Perhaps she has quite a temper that we can use against her."_ The voice commented, sounding proud of itself, and me as well.

Neo came around to eye me, and made a motion that looked like taking off a mask.

I nodded, unclasping the cool, burnt and scuffed metal shielding my true emotions. I leaned back in the seat, swiveling slightly to face her. "What's up?"

She produced her scroll and typed out a response. _What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to get us killed?_

I shook my head. "We seem rather alive, if you ask me. Cinder slunk away in anger and defeat having been told no for what is probably the first time in her life."

_That's my point, dumbass. You just told that woman no. A woman who could set this entire building on fire with a snap of her fingers. Was that really a wise idea?_

I glanced around, more for show than anything. "I don't see anything on fire, nor do I smell smoke or hear people shouting and running. I don't think we're going to be killed by her tonight."

Neo just scoffed, shaking her head. _I seriously hope you know what you're doing, Jaune._

I smiled gently. "Think about who you're talking to. I've always got a plan."

She sighed, pocketing her scroll once again. She rested a hand on my shoulder lightly and gave a subtle squeeze before pushing out the door that Cinder had stormed through not but a minute or two before.

I watched her stroll out, my gaze trained on her back as she vanished from view. I sighed and rested back in the large seat, closing my eyes.

_"You did well, Jaune. There is still more to come, of that I am sure you're aware."_ The cold voice of the Virtuoso echoed in my head.

I nodded. "I know… The future holds the fabled Judgement Day, yet, I don't know how long we truly have to prepare."

_"Time is a resource we have precious little of. We just secured some from dear Cinder there. Now the question is how we spend it?"_

"We prepare – it's the only thing we can do. We help Junior, we train the goons, we rescue Roman." I said out loud.

I received no answer from the mask.

I shook my head, pulling myself up to my feet. "No rest for the damned, no rest for the wicked. Time moves on, with or without you."

* * *

**And time.**

**Well, that was fun. Definitely didn't think that the first section would spiral out like it did, but well, there you go. And then Jaune using his new talking buddy to best Cinder at her own game. Well played, Jaune and Virtuoso. Well played indeed.**

**Reminder: There's a poll up. Go check it out on my profile page.**

**And now, reviews!**

**Fission - I will neither confirm nor deny that Roman dies at the end of this story. Nor will I confirm or deny that anyone dies at the end. You'll just have to wait and see. Any time, my friend! Always happy to respond to reviews. Seeing as I have no idea what this rewrite of RWBY is, I don't know. I assume it's a redditor or a YouTube channel, so I'll go check it out when I can. Jaune's semblance is something that's been planned from the start, and will show up in due time. Another power trip depends on if you're talking about me or Jaune. Me, well, I'm always power mad, but that's beside the point. Jaune however, well, who knows? And don't worry my man, I got what you were shooting at.**

**Greer - That's always been Jaune's strong suit in this story - logic and reasoning to escape bad situations. You'll be happy with next chapter then, my friend. I, however, hate my life because school has started again and I don't have a normal human being's sleep schedule.**

**Engineer - I do hate to say it, but there is no elaborate ruse being played on Jaune, no matter how amusing that actually would be. It might be in Jaune's best interest, but I doubt that he'll have anything to do with it. Come the end of the story, assuming Roman lives, there's no way that he'd get rid of Jaune. Get him help, yeah. Get rid of him? Nah. And Winston, well, this isn't the last time he'll be brought up. The best Jaune is hoping for is that he and the people he cares about live and escape from under Cinder with an at least somewhat intact Vale.**

**Dragon Lord Draco - There will be more of Adam. I do enjoy our local edge lord.**

**Awyr - Okay, so I'm definitely not planning on quoting Green Goblin anywhere. If I already have, please tell me where.**

**Fiction Addict - Yeah, it might be a bit of a mistake doing as much as I am behind the scenes, but oh well. It's been started, and I'll at least keep it running till the end of the story. Everyone knows - his name, face, and mask are all everywhere in the news. And dude, it is perfectly fine. I get that you're trying to be helpful, and I 100% appreciate it. I've stated a few things that you're asking about outright. (I think, but sleepy me isn't sure.) And Winter definitely did lose her eye because of how I look at Aura. And still, I definitely get where you're coming from and appreciate the sentiment. Less implied stuff, and more outright, at least for you and probably others who may be confused. Got it.**

**X3 - I mean, you are right. Technically. All of those things did happen. And the mask being a magical relic would be interesting if I gave it any sort of backstory and history before this, but I definitely think that when he got it, I said the local smith made it, or something. I'm glad you like the direction that the Virtuoso and Jaune are going. For me, this was definitely the highlight of putting in a mask. I can personify it, and make it a little more believable. Eh, Qrow is a big boy. He can handle Winter. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.**

**King of Clubs - Canon Adam sucked, lets all be perfectly honest here. Such a badass design and concept that they threw away needlessly. A shame, really. I've not delved much into reasonable Adam fics, but I'll probably go check that one out.**

**2AM Guest - Welcome back, my friend. Nice to see you're alive. And happy to see that more people really do like the development behind Jaune and the Virtuoso. It's fun for me to write, at the very least.**

**Specter - Adam chose to spare Jaune initially because Jaune came in and saved his ass, at least that was the intent I was going for. Now, well, it's all down to Adam to decide if he'll rat Jaune out completely.**

**Azetlor the Collector - Ah, then a familiar face. Well, here's the explanation. The Specialists being there was supposed to be particularly odd and notable. And yes, our dear friend Not-Jerry (AKA Paul) does still live. Good guy, and probably my favorite OC who was written entirely on the fly with no planning behind him at all.**

**Azrael Saint - Stress is definitely getting to him. Big time. And Winter, well, she wants his head. On a pike. In her living room. Probably.**

**typhonyx - You, my friend, are correct. Canon Adam doesn't give a flying fuck in hell about the Faunus. He's generally an ass, and unlikable with a thirst for human blood regardless of the cost. I, however, am not completely willing to take canon Adam as he is. To me, he was an amazing concept and design that was just kinda wasted and turned into the psycho ex-boyfriend later on. I personally really think that he has potential to be a lot more than just a psycho out for human blood and a man with a fixation on a girl. If I have him actually care about the Faunus and his people, it gives him room to develop and change and evolve rather than being pigeonholed into what canon made him. If that's not your deal, then that's perfectly fine and you can disagree all you like. However, I like my version of Adam, and plan to write him this way.**

**Logist - All good, friendo. See, I don't think that in Canon we even know how old Neo is, and thus, I never said. And okay, reading over all you said a couple times, you've got some solid points and actually thought about them which I quite appreciate. The reason Neo said, (I think) that they're taking a break was because they don't know each other all that well. Then there's also the fact that Jaune is more and more wrapped up in everything and stressed and just doesn't have time to devote to her. She had her reasons for breaking it off for a while - mostly because she might suspect that Jaune will put more time into her than needed if he puts two and two together. And you're right. In the timeframe that's left in this story, there's no plausible way to make Lancaster happen. It just isn't there. While if I had taken a different route, Yang x Jaune (Dragon Slayer? Golden Dragon? Sun Dragon? I don't know.) And hey, I know everyone makes mistakes. This is being written without an editor / beta, so all things considered, I think it's going well with only a few mistakes here and there.**

**Glover - Adam, Adam, Adam. A fun character in for a ride here at the end.**

**State of Pure Caffeine - I relate to your name on a spiritual level as a sleep deprived college student. Glad you've enjoyed, my friend. More to come.**

**Dino Guy - Stress. Stress is a powerful weapon and tool. One that should be respected, and feared.**

**cbustroyer - Like I said to typh, I don't like canon Adam, so I wrote my own slightly different version. Jaune's semblance will be revealed in time. And you're right, Ruby is missing out. A lot of that has to do with Jaune not knowing how powerful she really is, and how helpful she could be.**

**And that's the reviews done.**

**Nice. So, I just started college again, and I hate my life already. Damned sleep schedule. I don't have much to say, so I'll leave it here.**

**Next chapter, we have an Arc meeting. It'll be fun, along with a few other important things that'll happen.**

**Next Chapter - Friday, August 30th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	34. Chapter 34

**IMPORTANT AN: Greetings friends. As, well, none of you know, I live in the state of Florida. Fun fact, we are staring down the impending doom that is Hurricane Dorian. There's the chance that it misses me completely, and that's what I'm hoping for. That said, though, it probably will hit me. It will very likely screw with my update schedule. So, knowing that, I won't be promising to post on any given day for a week or more. Fear not, if I don't publish according to schedule for a while.**

**It's Friday. That means more Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 34]

I pocketed my scroll as I stalked through the late-night streets of Vale, dodging between the vast numbers of patrols out to 'ensure the safety of Vale and her citizens.' At least, that was what Ironwood had claimed.

Since those robots had been deployed, a strict curfew had been put in place, and those found in violation of it, without an authorized reason, were hauled off and detained until a human officer or soldier could see to them for interrogation.

Ironwood claimed that this was all for the good of the people, putting them under damn near martial law like this. He thought his ships and robots would make them feel safer. It only strikes fear into their hearts – fear that something more is to come, that they are in enough danger to warrant a foreign military occupation.

I shook my head, ducking into an alleyway as a squad of the robots came trundling past – each step they took made an unsettling clank of metal against concrete, their back visors showing no emotion nor care for the world around them.

I sucked in a deep breath, waiting for them to clank past me, only releasing it after I was sure they had gone some way down the street.

I sighed, resting my hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors idly. It wasn't the same sword I had started with all those months ago – it had changed. It was broken down and rebuilt from the ground up. It looks the same and feels the same, but beneath all of that, it's vastly changed.

I chuckled to myself. _Funny, that describes me well enough, too._

Once again, I had found myself in full battle regalia – armor, mask, and my small armory's worth of weapons. _They might think me paranoid, but I've reason to be._

_"It is only paranoia if you are proven wrong."_ The cold voice of The Virtuoso called out.

That was something else, my mask. The mask of a killer, of someone willing to sacrifice the few to save the many. A calm and collected persona – analytical and observant. It had no care for what the steps between it and the goal was – only that the end result was achieved.

"Perhaps." I muttered in return, biting down on my lower lip. "Is this a bad idea?" I wondered aloud. A rather significant part of me was screaming that this was an awful idea, that I was inviting disaster by doing this. I was inclined to agree.

_"He is an Arc. First and foremost, an Arc does not break their word. Or so you have said." _The mask mused, the only person to hear it being me.

"That… That doesn't answer my question."

There was a cruel chuckle that echoed in every corner of my head. _"It wasn't supposed to. Is this a fool's errand? Yes. Does that mean it is a bad idea? No."_

I frowned, slipping quietly between cars as I ducked from alley to alley. "I don't understand."

The mask, however, didn't see fit to respond. I shook my head and pressed onwards, slipping my way deeper and deeper into the city.

It didn't take long for me to reach the destination. It was an old Highrise that had recently been marked for demolition. Despite that, it still stood proud, a spire jutting up into the darkened skyline of Vale.

I dug out my scroll and glanced at the time – just past four in the morning. I was early.

I shook my head, pocketing the scroll once more as I slipped into the old building through one of the windows that had been shattered by smalltime vandals. Each of my steps crunched against the shards of glass that scattered over the ground.

I ground my teeth together, trying to make myself as quiet as I could, prowling through the old building. After a few moments, I caught the faintest whisper of a voice down the hallway.

I closed my eyes and swallowed nervously. I set my shoulders back and shook my head, letting out a breath I hadn't been conscious of holding. I deployed my right-hand shotgun gauntlet, and drew one of the daggers with my left, thumbing the switch that activated the Ice Dust crystal.

_"Be cautious."_ The mask warned, its cool voice sounding somewhere between excited and on edge.

I nodded, pressing forward down the hallway. As I did, the voice became more constant, not just a mere whisper that I could barely grasp on the air. As I approached the room, another thing became evident. A small, rather dim and flickering light shone from the room that contained a voice.

I swallowed nervously again. _"Show no fear, no nervousness. Take control – show them you are in power here."_ The mask advised.

I came around the corner, blocking most of the doorway as I looked into the room. My right hand had the gauntlet covering it, armed and ready at even a moment's notice. In my left, the dagger's edge was coated in a thin sheet of ice, ready to cut into any opponent that might show themselves.

What I found wasn't something I had been expecting.

Sat on the floor, a small candle between the two, were two damning faces, both of which were curiously looking up at me – seeing only the cold depths of The Virtuoso.

First was who I had been expecting. The older man that I knew all too well to be Jason Arc. Age had slowly been catching up to him, yet despite that, he still struck an intimidating figure. Not taller than I am, but rather broad shouldered and still with an intense aura of authority that dared anyone to challenge him or his commands.

His face was neutral as he looked up at me, gaze flitting from my gauntlet, to the mask, and then to the knife that I wielded like it was second nature to me. His visage remained completely impassive as his sapphire eyes returned to the cold demeanor of The Virtuoso.

Second was my older sister – Alicia. The sister that he had favored, going so far as to teach her how to fight, and to use her Aura. She who had learned everything and grown up to become what I always dreamed of.

She looked like almost every other Arc child, tall, with bright, golden blond hair and blue eyes that would captivate even the most hardened of souls. Unlike the rest of our sisters, she wore her hair short, more akin to a man's haircut than a woman's. Her visage had been marred as well by a few scars that could have been caused by either Grimm or those she'd helped to arrest.

She looked moderately shocked at my appearance. I highly doubt that it was because I had managed to creep up on them – I know that I'm not exactly the stealthiest guy in the world, what with heavy armor, and then chain beneath that.

No, her own sapphire gaze was wild, flitting first from the drawn weapons, and then to the grenades that adorned my chest and then down to the sword that hung at my hip, and finally coming to rest on the cruel grin of The Virtuoso, lips curled back in an ever maniacal and sadistic state.

"Jaune…?" She asked nervously, not sure that she was, in fact, looking at me.

"No, that's not who we're looking at." My father called out; his eyes narrowed now. "The man you're looking at is none other than the notorious criminal and terrorist known as The Virtuoso."

Alicia glanced over to my father, and then back to me, her hand gravitating toward the glaive that she had slung across her back.

_"Harsh."_ The cool voice commented, sounding rather amused.

I curled my lips back into a grin behind the mask, lowering my weapons. "Think of us as two different people?" I asked, remaining stood in the doorway. "Is that how you tell yourself your son hasn't surpassed you?"

He just sighed and shook his head. "I asked to speak with Jaune, not a terrorist."

I laughed cruelly, leaning against the doorway now. "Then speak. I'm right here."

Before he had a chance to respond, Alicia got to her feet. Her gaze was locked on the empty sockets that acted as the eyes for The Virtuoso. Our father also let his gaze track over to her, curious as to what she was about to do.

She smiled weakly – the uncertainty and discomfort showing through in her stiff actions. "It's… It's been a while, baby brother." She started, cautiously approaching me.

I arched a brow behind the mask. "It has." I found myself tensing, just in case she tried to pull something.

_"Be mindful."_ The voice in my head warned.

She pursed her lips, coming to stop, standing next to my father. "You've… changed so much." She commented, clearly not sure where to direct the conversation.

I laughed, glancing down at myself only briefly. "An understatement." I looked back to her then. "You, my dear sister, have changed since last we spoke. Tell me, are the scars a result of your own failure, or that of your teammates?"

She blinked, a hand unconsciously rising to trace the larger of the two scars that trailed from just below her ear to the middle of her cheek.

I didn't bother to listen to her response, turning my gaze downward towards my father who was looking none too amused. "You're the one who asked to meet. What do you want?"

Alicia, bit down on her lower lip and sunk to the ground, sitting next to our father who had spun to be facing me. His face now cast in shadow as the dull and flickering light from the candle illuminated the room.

"I asked to speak with my son." He curled his lips into a snarl. "I don't negotiate with terrorists."

_"Do as he asks. It is the only way to continue this meeting."_ The voice advised.

I bit down on my lower lip. _Is the meeting really worth it?_

_"You are already here. There is potential gain, you would be a fool to ignore it. Pursue what you can while relinquishing nothing."_

I closed my eyes, nodding. I reached behind my head and gently tugged the mask off, revealing my visage proper.

I knew I looked like a train wreck. My eyes were almost assuredly bloodshot, and while I normally was clean shaven, I had started growing a thin layer of facial hair that I'd not bothered to cut or maintain in any way over the past week or two.

He smiled slightly, appraising me. "You look like hell, son." He commented.

I rolled my eyes, hooking the mask to its place on my belt. "Now, what do you want?"

He inclined his head slightly, still appraising me. "Do I need to want something? It has been nearly a year since I last spoke to my only son – is it so odd to want to do so?"

I laughed bitterly. "Where was that care when I was younger?" I spat out.

Jason sighed, shaking his head. "Jaune, listen…" He started.

I shook my head, lips curled into a snarl. "No, dad. I won't listen." I started, taking a deep breath. "You were always fucking gone – off gallivanting through the world, killing Grimm and protecting civilians." I glanced over at the far wall that I was throwing a shadow over. "At least, that's what I was told you did."

He bit down on his lip. "At least – "

I shook my head. "Its funny, really. I always wanted to be like you, you know that? I wanted to grow up and be just like you. I wanted to be a hero – to protect the innocent and those who couldn't protect themselves. I wanted to kill Grimm and be a Huntsman, just like you."

"Despite that, whenever I asked, whenever I begged and pleaded with you to train me – you ignored me. You told me I didn't have what it took, that I didn't need to see the things you had." I took a breath, glaring down at him. "But despite that – despite all the denial and refusal to teach me, I still tried."

"Jaune, please." Alicia tried, hoping to get me to stop.

"Shut the fuck up, Alicia." I practically shouted at her, making her flinch ever so slightly. "I decided I'd take things into my own hands. I decided that I'd make myself a Huntsman, with or without your help. I took what I could, and I left. I pursued my dream – a dream to be just like my old man."

I laughed at the thought, shaking my head. "A dream that they crushed almost as soon as I applied. I was left with nothing, and no one. I was completely fucking alone on the streets of Vale, left to fend for myself." I paused for a brief moment. "You know what happened next, dad?"

He just nodded, looking grim.

"Roman Torchwick happened. He saw me, the lone son of the Arc family, and son to once his best friend and partner, alone on the streets with not a hope in the world." At that, Alicia turned to look at our father with concern. "He took me in, funnily enough. He treated me like his own, like I was his own goddamn flesh and blood." I ran my fingers through my hair. "He trained me, taught me to fight and survive on the streets. Unlocked my Aura and taught me to use it."

I locked eyes with my father. "He did what you never would." I glanced over to my sister then, seeing that she was still looking between my and our father. "And the best part? I got what I wanted. I grew up to be just like dad – a criminal and a killer."

Jason shook his head. "I'm sorry, son." He muttered out quietly, raising his gaze to meet mine. "In my own fear and want to protect you, I hurt you more than I ever imagined possible." He sighed, glancing down at the floor. "I knew that by doing what I did, you'd probably come to hate me for standing in the way of your dream. I accepted that, just so long as you were safe."

I barked out a laugh, shaking my head. "Well, you see how far that train of thought got you." I growled out, glaring down at him. "'Just so long as I was safe.' Hah, yeah fucking right. You were scared. You were afraid to see me become what you did – a criminal and a killer. Here's a newsflash for you – I'm Vale's most wanted."

He pursed his lips. "You chose this, Jaune. You ran away. You failed to get into Beacon. You took Roman's lead into a life of crime." He sighed. "You could have just come home."

I laughed at that, bending over as I failed to contain it. "'I could have just come home.' Oh, that's just fucking rich." I took a moment to regain myself. "You know why I didn't? Because at home, I was a goddamned failure. I was a failure to you, to mom, to all of my sisters. I was useless." I spat out. "I wouldn't amount to anything in life. I always had my sisters to fight my battles for me, I always had mom around to take care of everything."

Alicia pursed her lips. "A failure doesn't throw themselves without Aura and armed with only a metal baseball bat at a Beowolf."

I nodded. "You're right. A failure would've just cowered in the back while the Beowolf killed his family." I spat on the floor again. "An idiot with no prospects or care for the future throws themselves at a Beowolf." I chuckled, shaking my head. "I was ready. I thought that was it for me – the end, no more Jaune Arc. I thought I could be a hero, even if just for a little bit. Even if it ultimately was for nothing."

"Yet, despite that, I lived." I said with a borderline manic grin on my lips. "Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I just should've died then and there. That way, we wouldn't be here – I wouldn't be a criminal and a terrorist, I wouldn't be the only fucking thing standing between Vale and destruction." I spat out. "It would go to someone qualified, someone who isn't fucking losing it more and more every goddamn day. Someone who's best goddamn advisor isn't the fucking mask he wears."

My sister and father shared a look of concern, probably thinking that I wouldn't notice as they thought I was completely going off the deep end. Jason pursed his lips and looked back to me. "We can talk to Ozpin. He has expressed great interest in you from what I've heard. He would be more than willing to absolve you of your crimes and take you in – maybe even get you a spot at Beacon."

I laughed at that, spitting at my father's feet. "As if I'd ever do that." I glared down at him. "Unlike you, father, I won't turn coat on my friends and family. People are relying on me, looking to me for leadership. They trust me to watch their backs, just like I trust them to watch mine." I let out a low growl. "I'd rather die than turn my back on these people who've helped me time and time again."

Jason sighed, shaking his head. "Jaune, please. You just said that this job, whatever the hell you're doing, should go to someone more qualified, more able. Give it up – relinquish that mantle you hold and step away." He smiled, trying to get me to calm down. "I'm not asking you to betray your friends, I'm just asking you to stop. To come home."

I pursed my lips, thinking on that for a brief moment.

Without any warning to either of them, I reached up and pulled a Fire Dust grenade off the bandolier, pulling the pin off. The effect was instant, and I saw them both tense up, expecting me to throw it at them.

"Imagine this, father. This room we're in? It is the city of Vale, along with all of its inhabitants, criminals and civilians alike. And this grenade here?" I asked, brandishing it about wildly. "Its what I like to call Judgement Day. The only thing keeping this grenade from exploding, and demolishing the whole of Vale, is me." I met his gaze. "And you're asking me to just drop it."

I released the grenade, letting the object crash down onto the floor. As soon as I released it, I bolted my way down the hallway where I had come from. I knew that both my father and sister were quick, so it'd be unlikely that they were injured by that grenade all too terribly.

That also meant they could probably chase me down.

Without missing a beat, I reached up to my bandolier, pulling off a Gravity grenade, and tossing it back over my shoulder. I followed it up with an Ice grenade as well, almost guaranteeing that no matter what, they couldn't follow me.

The Fire grenade went off first, a column of fire coming rushing out of the doorway to lick the simple drywall that made up the hallway. Not a moment later, I could hear the thumping of two pairs of feet chasing after me down the hallway.

I couldn't help but to grin slightly as the Gravity grenade went off somewhere behind me. I shot a glance back over my shoulder to see that my father had stumbled slightly and was struggling to pull himself up. Alicia, on the other hand, was still running at full tilt towards me, albeit slowed down by the effects of the grenade.

I grinned and offered her a wave as the Ice grenade erupted, covering the floor and walls with a significant sheet of ice, rooting her in place.

I came barreling out of the old Highrise, ducking rather quickly into an alleyway. I kept my full-on sprint, ducking between alleyways and taking random twists and turns as I went, not caring all that much for where I ended up.

That turned out to be a mistake as I came rushing into the middle of the street, and face to face with a squadron of Atlas androids.

I shook my head as they called out for me to stop and show ID.

I didn't hesitate to draw Crocea Mors from its sheath, not bothering to draw the shield with it too. In my left hand, I deployed the shotgun gauntlet.

In total, there were six of these robots. As soon as I drew Crocea Mors, they leveled off weapons at me and called out for me to halt once more.

I laughed, charging at them. Before the first shot was fired, I came crashing into the first one, ripping its head from its body with a single slash from Crocea Mors. I turned, firing off a shell into the second one before it even had a moment to realize that its buddy had been killed.

I'd dealt with enough of these patrols to know that they had already sent out a signal to all other nearby units calling for aid. I'd probably have about two minutes to finish these things off and be gone if I didn't want to have to deal with more coming down on top of me.

Then the gunfire came, and I grit my teeth as the energy rounds rippled across my Aura, dealing a not insignificant chunk of damage.

I rounded on the next android, ducking low as it swung its rifle to smash me in the head. I popped back up next to it and stabbed my blade straight through its chest. I heard another approaching me from behind and so I spun, heaving the robot with me. I flung it from the end of my blade, sending it crashing into the robot that had been approaching from behind.

Without a second's hesitation, I rushed forward and unloaded two of the explosive shells into the heads of both the robots I had sent to the ground.

The last two kept more distance from me, and had gone into what I'd like to call their defensive mode. They could analyze how quickly I had dealt with their other friends, and saw that they were no longer holding the advantage. They elected to split up and back away, trying to pepper me with gunfire until reinforcements arrived.

However, I wasn't about to let them stall that long. I had about another minute and a half before another squad would show up, give or take thirty seconds.

I rushed forward at the one that was backing up the street, keeping its rifle completely level as it tracked and fired off rounds at me. Despite it being an advanced AI, or something like that, it was an AI. I'd have a much harder time if this were a human team that can better predict my actions.

I dove forward, rolling and popping up just in front of the robot. It took half a second too long to realize what had happened as I slashed at one of its knees, sending it down to the ground. I quickly fired off another shotgun shell into this one's head as well, making the whole thing come crashing down to inert metal.

Another two rounds impacted my back, and rather than go running at the bot, I dove for cover. I sheathed Crocea Mors and shifted it into its rifle state. I popped up from my cover and aimed down sight at the robot that had taken a static stance in the middle of the road.

I fired off three rounds, all three impacting the bot's head and exploding, sending it toppling back into a life at the scrap heap.

I doubted I had time to spend shifting my rifle back to an easily stowed state and broke off into a run into the alleyways again.

I was more careful this time, only coming out into the streets when I was sure there were no patrols coming past.

In the distance, over towards the Highrise, I could hear police sirens.

After another few minutes of running and ducking between alleys, I was convinced that I was safe.

I stopped, catching my breath as I shifted Crocea Mors back to a sword and sheath, clasping the blade back to my hip where it belonged.

I put my back to a nearby wall and slunk down it, still slowly catching my breath.

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cool brick.

I caught what sounded like some flapping of wings before it then turned into light footsteps that were damn near inaudible. Had I not still had adrenaline rushing through my veins, I doubt I'd have been alert enough to hear the flapping of wings.

"Come to have a chat too, Qrow?" I asked, not bothering to open my eyes.

I knew it was Qrow, not just because of the shift, but also because of the sudden smell of cheap liquor that assaulted my nose.

The old man just chuckled. "Quite the little show you had."

I shrugged. "You talking about my father, or the bots?"

He hummed for a moment, taking a swig from his flask as he came to sit across from me. I eyed him expectantly. He tossed the flask over. "Both, really. I only saw the tail end with your father though – you should've told me sooner, and I'd have been able to watch the whole ordeal."

I took a swig from the flask – cheap whiskey, Qrow's favorite. "Didn't really think about it until then. Any trouble?" I asked, tossing him the flask back.

"Not particularly. Oz doesn't like that I'm spending so much time out 'doing recon,' but that's it." He responded after fumbling the flask slightly and spilling a fair bit on the ground. He sighed, shaking his head as he eyed the spilled booze.

I hummed, resting back against the wall again.

"I will say, though, not bad thinking with combining the Gravity and Dust grenades like that. Even if they can negate the effects of one, it still almost guarantees the second hits 'em." He raised his flask and knocked back another shot.

I shrugged. "Didn't think too much about it. Mostly, just didn't want to kill 'em. Those two are my more non-lethal grenades, I guess. More utility, or something like that."

Qrow nodded. "Whatever floats your boat, kid." He paused briefly, taking another swig from his flask before handing it out to me. "I didn't get to hear much of what happened. What'd the old man want?"

_"Are we sure we can trust this man?"_ The cold voice of The Virtuoso asked me. _"He works for Ozpin. For the enemy. Be careful what you admit."_ It advised.

"Shut up." I growled lowly at the voice in my head, glancing over to Qrow as I knocked back the remainder of the flask. "Just tried to get me to retire, basically. Get me to take Ozzy's deal and then go home, forget about my life that I built here."

He frowned, nodding a bit. "Oz does have a good deal waiting for you, if you can stomach it."

I tossed the empty flask back to the older huntsman who caught it easily in hand. "If I can stomach it…" I trailed off, glancing down the end of the alleyway. "Why do you stomach it, Qrow? Why work for him?"

The older huntsman frowned as he thought, pocketing his flask. "Why work for Roman? You never wanted a life of crime, yet here you are."

I shrugged. "Because he made me who I am today. He helped and supported me through everything, along with Junior. Those two, well, they're more family to me than my father ever was." I commented sourly.

Qrow nodded. "That's why I work for Oz. Because I owe him everything. He made me the man you see before you."

I nodded, opening my eyes to look him over. "Then why help me at all? We're diametrically opposed – you and your boss, great and powerful Huntsmen. Me and my boss, wicked and underhanded criminals. Yet, you're willing to help me, watch over me, even sit down and just drink with me… Why?"

He sighed and glanced off down the alleyway, same as I had. "Do you remember when I told you that I'm hunting for the bastards that killed my teammate?"

I nodded after a moment of thinking. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, kid, my teammate didn't just die randomly. She was off on a mission for our dear friend Ozpin." He picked up a loose pebble and tossed it down the alleyway, watching as it bounced farther and farther away. "When he heard the news, he didn't sound shocked or surprised. Didn't show anything at all – just that ever calm and damning expressionless look he has."

He shook his head. "Maybe I'm crazy, but you don't just react that way to one of your friends, and best agents dying." He tossed another pebble. "He always plays things close to his chest – never lets anyone, not even Jimmy or me know the whole plan. Only bits and pieces." He laughed bitterly. "Knowing that, I can't help but to wonder: did he know that Summer would die on that mission?"

He turned his gaze back to me, eyes hardened against any sort of emotion slipping out. "I work for him because he's the only one who really knows what happened to her. Without him, I wouldn't even know where to start."

I bit my lower lip as I thought on that. "Out of desperation, then."

He laughed, nodding. "Yeah, that about cuts it. Pathetic, isn't it?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. Not when it's the only choice you have." I offered him a smile. "Still, why help me?"

He shrugged, tossing another pebble down the alley. "Because you're a good kid, Jaune. You're a good kid who got dealt a shit hand." He smiled a bit. "A lot like someone else I know."

I nodded, thinking that I got his meaning. "You'll find those bastards, Qrow." I said, pulling myself up to my feet. I extended a hand down to him. "And when you do, give me a call. It's the least I could do."

Qrow eyed my hand for a brief moment before taking it and heaving himself up. He nodded, clapping me on the shoulder. "Good luck, Jaune." He said, taking a running start and shifting into his avian form, lifting up into the dark sky of Vale, vanishing from view quickly.

I sighed, shoving my hands into my pockets as I set off in the vague direction of The Club. "I'm gonna need it." I muttered quietly.

* * *

**And scene.**

**That was fun for me to write - Qrow especially. Part of that is because he is an awesome character, and part of it is because his interactions with Jaune in this story are just great and I love them to bits.**

**Remember, for all those who haven't yet: go vote on the poll up on my profile.**

**Reviews time, here we go.**

**Greer - Jaune is growing them balls, yeah. School is, well... chaos. A lot of that is my own doing, but it's chaos. God, I love being in charge of a club and causing chaos.**

**Dino Guy - God, I love seeing Cinder not being the queen. It's fuckin' great. Jaune x Virtuoso, when?**

**Adis - Hey man, at least you dropped by and gave it a shot. If you don't like the way things are going, then power to you and thanks for leaving a few reviews at least. If you're still here, then I'm glad that you stuck around and thought it was worth continuing.**

**Fission - I'll go check him out when I've got time that isn't being just absorbed by Fire Emblem. God damn it, brain. I have other things to do. And the Katana might have seemed a bit out of place, and that's mostly my fault. What I should've said somewhere at the start was that like in the first raid they did, Jaune had changed his getup and weapons to blend in with his team of goons and all. That was where it came from - they just kept the disguises as the Reeves Family. Their whole getup is described a couple chapters back when I first mentioned the disguises. And yes, I will play the almighty author card. You will know all in due time.**

**Gabriel Sapphire - Yes sir, it is. Your Author is a Jhin one trick stuck in mid gold because he's a bum and can't be bothered to grind League.**

**Luine Mercury - Yeah, there's a lot. That said, though, Jaune has done a lot to prepare everyone and everything for what is to come. Now, to see how he handles the incoming wave of shit. Good Luck, Jaune.**

**X3 - In Canon, if this were to have happened, Cinder would just be fucked. That said, we don't yet know exactly what Cinder's plan is, or how it is gonna work. And, well, getting Em hooked on hard drugs would be fantastic, I don't know that they've got that kind of timeline. Like, the tournament starts next chapter, so whatever they do, it's gonna have to be done quick.**

**Guest (1) - Well, that's very kind of you to say my dear friend. Much appreciated.**

**Another Stalker - I really love the mask, I truly and honestly do. Great idea that I adopted from the reviews. And, okay, so assume that Jaune and Co survive the Battle of Beacon / Vale. That is exactly where my story ends - I just didn't plan any farther than that. Would I be willing to continue it after? I mean, probably. It wouldn't be for a while - maybe after Helljumper and End Game do their whole stories, I might come back and write Criminally Good 2, Electric Boogaloo. Or maybe I'll rewrite the early arcs of Criminally Good so that they're of similar quality to the later ones. It's just hard to say, really.**

**Gasenator - Everyone is just dead. I have class from 8 AM - Noon, and then an hour break, then from noon - 4 PM. Normally, I'd be sleeping from like 5:30 AM till around noon, so this whole thing is just throwing me for a loop and I want to die. Coffee. Coffee is the only way I live.**

**Josh Spicer - Hmmm. Interesting theory. We'll have to see.**

**Azrael Saint - Jaune is definitely not okay. Even after the dam broke, he still isn't. At least he pulled it together enough to deal with Cinder.**

**Valerious Lake - Glad you liked Jaune properly taking control here. I enjoyed it immensely.**

**Engineer - That is just something you'll have to wonder - the power of first person perspective. That was a major motivator behind Jaune breaking. He's still just a kid - hell, I can remember breaking like that under a lot less pressure, so considering everything he's dealt with, he did phenomenally well managing up till this point. Adam definitely has a role to play - be it good or bad, we don't yet know.**

**Azetlor the Collector - College didn't interfere last semester, and it (hopefully) shouldn't interfere this one either. Unlike a certain Hurricane that has everyone panicking. Fear for how the story ends, I suppose that's healthy. Like I've said before, beware the drama tag that's added onto this story. It's not a super dramatic story, but it's got heavier moments that tug at heartstrings, at least I'd like to think it has so far.**

**Blue Barn Owl - I mean, you weren't completely correct, but you sorta, kinda had the idea right.**

**Glover - Hmmm. Questions to be asked. (I appreciate the Bland, er Blake joke.)**

**State of Pure Caffeine - I am glad you've been enjoying, friend. I'd like to think I'm more a character writer (in most cases) than I am for giant plots, but all things considered that this is my first story, it's done damn well and I love it.**

**cbustroyer - You definitely want more Ruby, at least that's what I'm thinking. The reason he didn't is because Ruby vs Junior. Ruby is a friend, while Junior is practically a father figure, along with Roman. And okay, good god, I am putting my feet in hot water here, but here goes. Rooster Teeth is fucked. I won't go into all my thoughts on it (If you're curious, just DM me and we can talk) but the First membership was kinda just the closing of the coffin. Unless they backtrack and beg forgiveness, they may go under. While RWBY is their only show I watch, that'd still make me sad because I really do enjoy RWBY and want to see it end. Hopefully not in an incredibly saddening way like GoT did, but an ending is better than nothing. (I do not kneel.)**

**typhonyx - Maybe you're right - maybe I didn't understand Adam at all. I don't know, really. I don't watch super critically, I just watch because the fights are good, and the characters are interesting - not to mention they make for great fanfiction possibilities. So, here's the thing here. I don't know that my Adam is better than Rooster Teeth's. Hell, I'm willing to bet most of my characters aren't - look at Neo, after all. She's a side character that they just did better with. While I enjoy Adam, at the least his design and initial concept, I didn't enjoy the direction. That said, I don't like him enough to make him a big facet of the story. He's here because in canon, he was a big part of what happened at the battle. This story has had the villains and baddies get most of the spotlight because that was what I wanted. When I looked at it during outlining, I noticed Adam didn't have much, and so he got added in for a little spotlight. Then came the issue that I had to make him not just murder Jaune on the spot. So, he didn't. He respected Jaune and the greater danger that the Specialists proved at the time. After that, well, yeah I admit compared to canon he's pretty OOC. And I'll definitely admit, I'm no professional writer. I'm a college guy with free time and interest in the show. Do I personally like the way Rooster Teeth took Adam? Not really, but then again, I don't watch critically. Is my version of Adam better? No? Maybe? I don't know, really. I'm not a professional, and the people at Rooster Teeth are. Does that mean they write better than I do all the time? I don't know - the fact that they're employed to do it suggests maybe, but who knows. The big thing is, I don't know which version of Adam is better - mine or Rooster Teeth's. In truth, it doesn't matter. Maybe mine is worse, maybe it's not. The canon one fit into canon well and did his job, mine will fit into Criminally Good well, and do his job. (Sorry if it sounds like I'm being a dick here, I'm really not trying to be.)**

**And that's all for reviews.**

**I made a grave mistake recently. That grave mistake was buying Fire Emblem: Three Houses. That has been absorbing all of my free time, and holy fuck is it good shit. I absolutely love it, and the characters, and combat, and story. It's all soo good. That said, it's a problem because god damnit, I need to not be leaving these chapters until last minute to post.**

**Next chapter, the beginning of the end arrives. Prepare your butts, it's gonna be fun.**

**Next Chapter - ? (Damn you, Hurricane. Damn you.)**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Well, well, well. It's Monday, and we're finally back with more Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 35]

This wasn't exactly my most genius plan. No, that's an understatement. This is probably the most suicidal plan I've come up with to date. 'Just sneak aboard the Atlas airship. Free Roman. It'll be simple.' Hah, yeah right.

I shook my head, leaning back into the wall of the Bullhead that I was sat in.

The Festival was in full swing, and the tournament was just now hitting the Finals stage tonight. Despite that, there's not been a peep from Cinder. No movements, no noise, nothing even remotely suspicious. That in itself was enough to drive me off the wall.

What's she waiting for? What is her plan actually? Are we completely wrong about what she's doing? Are we just chasing false leads in circles, making ourselves weak and open to her retaliation? I sighed, pushing that out of my mind.

I took a moment to survey the Bullhead's other occupants. In total, there were four of us, all dressed in full battle regalia, ready for a war if need be. Neo was first, looking completely unphased and at ease on the outside, her trusty parasol resting in her lap, ready to sing into action. Not-Jerry was next. The man who'd I'd come to call among my best friends and closest allies kept it basic. He carried dual revolvers that holstered at his sides while he also carried a simple short sword at his hip. Last was Jack, armed with a simple Warhammer, medium armor, and an assault rifle slung over his back.

Everyone had forgone their masks, other than me. In truth, it didn't matter. If all went well, they wouldn't know what had happened until it was too late. And even if things did go tits up, mask or not, I'd be recognized instantly. The Virtuoso was more a comfort to me than anything else. That, and it may prove helpful.

I closed my eyes and let out a slow sigh.

"Don't stress so much. We're all professionals here. It'll be an easy in and out job before anyone even realizes what's happened." Jack tried, a grin on his lips.

I nodded absently. "That's only if our intel is right and most of the soldiers are actually deployed for security around the city."

Not-Jerry shrugged. "I don't see why it wouldn't be. We fed a bit of information to Ironwood that Cinder might be planning a White Fang attack in the stadium. We saw that they were shuttling Bullheads up and down all afternoon."

I bit down on my lower lip. "It's not just Ironwood, either. It's Cinder, too. What's her plan, waiting this long? If now isn't the time, then when is?"

Neo just shook her head, offering a slight smile.

_"Landing in one minute."_ The pilot called out over the comms.

We were lucky that Junior is as well connected as he claims. Thanks to some contacts over in Atlas, we found that one of his contacts has a man on the inside of the Atlas Navy. Granted, he's just a low-level pilot, but it's still enough to get us on board the airship.

"Just to review," Not-Jerry started, glancing between each of us. "Roman isn't being held in the brig with all the other prisoners that might be on board. Despite the unfathomable stupidity, he's being held in solitary near to the bridge of the ship." He chuckled, shaking his head. "We're going to be in the lower hangar bay. Neo and Jack are going to head towards the Armory to retrieve Roman's weapon while Jaune and I head up to break the bossman out. Everyone got it?"

We all nodded.

"Fantastic. Now, lady and gentlemen, let's show Atlas what for." He said with a bit of a grin.

The Bullhead touched down in the hangar a few moments later. There wasn't any hesitation as I hit the button that opened the rear cargo door.

As it slowly opened, we were met with a pair of younger guys who were likely there to check the inside and do some minor maintenance. I hefted Crocea Mors in her rifle form, training it on the head of one shocked soldier. "Keep quiet, or I shoot. Got it?" I barked out.

He nodded, completely frozen with shock and fear, unable to respond verbally.

"Good. Now, you're going to be good boys and sit in this Bullhead. Make so much as a sound, and our pilot won't hesitate to put you down." I growled out.

The one who didn't even have a rifle pointed at him swallowed nervously and nodded. "Okay, okay… Just please, don't shoot."

I chuckled, letting them shuffle into the ship as Neo, Jack, and Not-Jerry pushed out to join me in the hangar. "I won't have to if you do as you're told."

The pilot came around and offered a nod to me, leaning against the side of the Bullhead. I returned the nod and pushed out into the nearly desolate hangar, my team right on my heels.

"Damn, Jaune. I thought you were going to shoot them for a second." Jack muttered out.

I shook my head. "No need to reveal ourselves this early with gunfire."

We pushed through a large pair of sliding doors that connected to the hangar, leading us into a long hallway that had several other branching paths off of it.

It felt like it went on forever. The hallways all felt the same, with only a few signs that directed us deeper into the ship. Neo and Jack bid us good luck after a few minutes of jogging through the endless metal maze.

It would have been great to have the blueprints for the capital ship so we could know where we were going, but that would've been too convenient. For as well connected and powerful as Junior is, securing top secret plans for military warships from another nation wasn't within his grasp.

Regardless, Not-Jerry and I pushed onwards, deeper into the belly of the metal beast. After a few more minutes, we ran into our first obstacle. A soldier who was caught off guard by the two of us running down the hallways.

I trained my rifle on him, glaring through the metal mask of The Virtuoso. "Just my lucky day. An unsuspecting volunteer. On your feet." I commanded.

The soldier took a moment to weigh the pros and cons of trying something, ultimately deciding that one on two, with one of us being well renowned and highly wanted, he wasn't paid enough to deal with this. "What do you want?"

Not-Jerry piped up then. "Funny you should ask that. See, you're holding a dear friend of ours in solitary confinement. We'd like to change that, and you're going to show us where he is."

The soldier nodded, looking between the two of us. "Right. Well, follow me, then." He said, turning and leading the two of us down the same hallway we were headed through.

I kept the rifle at his back, barrel pressed right into his spine.

After a few minutes, the soldier led us to a larger room that had elevators lined on either of the side walls. "You're going to need access to the bridge. Access I don't have." The soldier stated, sounding somewhat proud of himself for that.

I just chuckled darkly. "Don't you worry yourself about that. We have access." I squeezed the trigger of my rifle, and the man shouted out in pain, collapsing to the floor. I fired another round, shattering his Aura, and ending his life.

I glanced back to Not-Jerry. "Got the access card?"

He nodded, digging out none other than Winter Schnee's card, handing it over to me with a grin. "You've got some powerful contacts of your own, getting your hands on that."

I nodded, entering the elevator that just opened up for us. "Qrow might be a drunk old sack of shit, but he is one magnificent bastard, I'll give him that." I responded, swiping the card over the reader and hitting the button that would give us access to the bridge.

I was expecting a fight once we got to the top – teams of officers, guards, maybe even automated security systems in place to keep us from easily gaining access to the controls of the ship. Hell, even officers to keep the thing running.

In preparation, I pulled one of my Gravity Dust grenades off the bandolier and popped the pin off. It wouldn't damage the delicate machinery and interfaces that would be needed to run the ship, but it would help to disable the crew.

When the doors opened, I didn't hesitate to throw the grenade out into the command deck, ducking back into the security that was provided by the elevator. I heard the explosion go off and dove out, bringing Crocea Mors up to my shoulder and scanning the room quickly.

Empty.

Not a single soul in sight. Nobody running the ship, nobody at any of the interfaces, no guards, no automated security. Not even any of the Atlas security bots that roamed the streets of Vale.

I ground my teeth together, not trusting it at all. "Something's wrong. There should be personnel here." I muttered out.

Behind us, I heard the sound of something pounding against metal. I twitched, spinning and falling into a crouch as I scanned for any sort of incoming hostile presence. I was met only with the elevator, and then three closed metal doors of some nature.

I glanced over to Not-Jerry who was just as on edge as I was. He offered a nod to me, and ever so slowly, we approached the metal door that was no longer having something pounding against it.

I took the front position, keycard in hand while Not-Jerry stood slightly behind me, revolver in hand and ready to fire.

I swiped the card, and the red security light flashed green. The door slid open, revealing to me none other than Roman.

I felt my shoulders lose all their tension, and I lowered my rifle, a smile coming over my lips.

"Well, about time you showed up. Do you have any idea how bad the customer service here is?" Roman complained, a shit eating grin on his lips.

Roman looked like absolute shit, in all honesty. His hair was a mess, and he had grown a thin beard during his time in lockup. Past that, it looked like he was starved and truly beaten down. I wouldn't be surprised if Ironwood got more… physical with his interrogations of Roman. His clothes were ripped and torn a bit, not to mention somewhat signed and covered in dirt and ash.

I was grinning behind the mask still, and without much thought about it, I lurched forward and wrapped Roman in a tight hug.

The master thief laughed slightly, wincing as well. "Woah, hey, alright, kid." He said, a little taken aback at first. It took him a moment before he returned the gesture. "It is good to see you, Jaune." He said after a moment.

I swallowed, releasing him and taking a step back to let him out of his cell.

Roman approached Not-Jerry and arched a brow. "Am I getting a hug from you too?" He asked skeptically, a hint of amusement in his tone.

Not-Jerry just rolled his eyes. "Just as much an asshole as ever, Roman."

Roman grinned. "Good to see power hasn't gotten to your head, Not-Jerry." He turned back to look at me. "So, what's the sit rep? Has Cinder gone and obliterated all humanity yet?"

I shook my head. "Not quite. We're on the last day of the tournament, and she hasn't done a damn thing. No Grimm, no murder, no terrorist attacks. Nothing."

He frowned, glancing around the open command deck. "Huh. Well, that's interesting. Why'd she want either of us locked up?"

I chuckled, rubbing at the back of my head. "Yeah, uh, about that. After you got arrested, I might've gone on a bit of a power trip somewhere along the way…" Not-Jerry snorted at that. "And, well, I basically told her to go to hell and that I don't work for her."

Roman deadpanned, eyeing me. "Seriously?" I nodded sheepishly. He remained quiet for a few more moments before breaking into mad laughter. "That's fucking brilliant, kid. You, the kid who was nobody this time last year, telling Cinder the mad fucking queen to go to hell, and living to tell the tale." He grinned and clapped me on the shoulder. "Either a lot has changed, or you're a better bullshitter than I am."

We were interrupted by the sound of the elevator coming to the top, and without even a moment's hesitation, I spun and readied my rifle, pointing it squarely at the door. The metallic doors slid open silently and Neo strolled out, a slight grin on her lips. Jack came stumbling out, out of breath and glaring at Neo.

Neo strolled over to Roman and handed him his cane and cap after looking him over the same way I had.

Roman grinned, spinning his cane in hand. "Ah, it's good to be back."

I turned my attention to Jack. "What happened?"

He glared at Neo for a moment more before turning back to me. "Well, other than learning that your girlfriend is incredibly quick on her feet and more agile than every Huntsman I've ever met combined, we've got a problem." I arched my brow at that. "Well, we sorta couldn't get access to the Armory easily. So, I got the genius plan to just blow a hole in the door." He explained, grimacing slightly. "It worked, don't get me wrong, but we might have gotten a lot of heat in the process."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Fine, we planned for this." I glanced back to Roman. "You good to fight?"

He rolled his shoulder back, stretching his arms slightly. "Wouldn't say I'm one hundred percent, but I'm hardly chopped liver."

I nodded. "Right." I looked back to Jack. "How long you think we have?"

He shrugged. "Five minutes, tops. I'd say closer to two."

The elevator started descending, likely to pick up angry solders. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Or maybe no time at all?" He tried.

I shook my head. "Whatever. Get some cover, everyone. I'll lob an Ice Grenade at 'em when the doors open and we can go from there."

The reaction was instant, and we all ran for cover, taking what we could. Neo had no ranged weapon, and elected to duck into Roman's open cell for her cover while the rest of us went for panels and computers that were all over the command deck.

The elevator doors slid open silently, and I caught only a moment's glimpse of several soldiers. I didn't hesitate any longer and threw the grenade. The soldiers weren't poorly trained, and all dove away from the explosive. That left them wide open.

We all took advantage of that, firing on the exposed Atlas soldiers. The grenade went off and coated the elevator, and then much of the area around the now shut elevator doors in a thin layer of ice. I squeezed off three shots, all three impacting my target. His Aura was shattered after the second, and the third ripped through his neck like paper.

The remaining three soldiers were quick to scramble for cover of their own, making them a fair bit harder to deal with. Behind them, the elevator started descending again.

Neo rushed out from the cell and launched herself at the soldier closest to her. She crashed into his back, and drove her blade through his neck, shattering his Aura in one simple thrust.

Roman was being pinned down by gunfire from the other two soldiers. I took that mistake on their part of pop up from cover and fire off two more rounds, both of these hitting their mark. The soldier was sent flying back, losing grip of his gun.

The last remaining soldier ducked back when he saw what happened to his buddy. He was probably hoping that his friends would be able to come up and save him.

Jack vaulted over his cover, Warhammer in hand, and crushed the poor soldier's head in with a single powerful overhead blow that I'm not sure my Aura would be able to handle well.

One of the consoles near me beeped quietly, and I glanced down at it. A Bullhead that was labeled as none other than the General's was entering our airspace. "Oh, for the love of…"

The doors to the elevator opened again, revealing a new batch of soldiers. These ones seemed more prepared and started firing out into the command deck blindly. It was enough of a threat to force us to duck into cover while the team took up defensive positions.

In total, there were eight of them. I shifted Crocea Mors into her sword and shield state, glancing over to Roman who was in view. I tapped my blade to the shield and he nodded.

"You know, gentlemen, I just spent a few weeks in solitary there. I'm not keen on going back!" Roman shouted, popping up from behind cover and firing a few rounds from his cane at the cover of the other soldiers.

I took the chance and vaulted over my own console, rushing forward. I came crashing into one soldier who wasn't ready for a full on charge. I smashed his face with my shield, making him stumble back. With impudence, I slashed the blade downwards, ripping a significant hole in his chest. The man screamed out in pain.

I felt a few bullets impact my Aura, and heard several more ping off my armor. I grit my teeth, ignoring the pain and charged again.

The rest of my team got the idea and attacked themselves. Jack eliminated another soldier the same way he had the first, with a powerful overhead swing that turned the man's head to paste easily.

Not-Jerry's revolvers were echoing out in the enclosed space, ripping through the console a soldier had chosen for cover after a few rounds. The soldier was cut down after another shot to the back.

Roman rushed out, much slower than he normally was, and disarmed his target. Before the poor girl had a chance to react, Roman used the hooked end of his cane to great effect against her temple, effectively knocking her out.

I hit my next target who was slightly more prepared, but not prepared enough. He managed to get out of the way of my shield bash, then catching my blade with his rifle. He brought his knee up to try and hit my crotch, but I disengaged and he hit nothing but air. I dashed forward once again, slamming into him with my shoulder. He stumbled back into a wall and grunted. I charged forward and drove the top of Crocea Mors through his neck.

I looked back, letting out a breath, scanning the room. It had once been a colorless and plain space, but was now colored red with blood.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, team, but the General is probably on board by now." I informed the rest of the team.

The reactions were varied. Not-Jerry looked like he was trying to contain a panic attack. Jack just started biting down on his lower lip. Neo didn't seem phased, and Roman just sighed, shaking his head. "Great. I assume that means he's probably blocking our exit strategy?"

I nodded.

Roman spun his cane idly as he thought. "Well, if we can't go around him, we're going through him."

I sent a message over to our pilot. _Get out of there. Take them with you – don't need you getting compromised._

"Uh, guys?" Not-Jerry called out, looking through the massive windows at the front of the command deck. "You might wanna see this." There was more than a little fear detectable in his voice.

We all turned and gathered with him, looking at what had him spooked.

Words weren't necessary.

On the horizon was what had to be the largest Grimm I've ever seen – a massive winged beast. It wasn't a Nevermore, but closer to a dragon, like what I'd read about in old time fairytales holding princess prisoner and all. Behind it was a literal fleet of Nevermore, with one massive creature leading the charge just behind the dragon.

There was no telling how many there were on the ground, but if this was anything to go by, it was more than enough.

I removed my mask, just to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

I wasn't.

I looked over to my friends, a grim look almost assuredly on my face. "Looks like Judgement Day has finally arrived."

The elevator started to move, likely leaving to go and pick up the General. I closed my eyes, letting out a slow sigh. "The actors are in their places, the stage is set, and the audience waits with baited breath." I looked down at The Virtuoso for a moment. I dropped the mask to the floor, looking back to those relying on me. "Once more, into the breach."

* * *

**And thus, the final bell tolls.**

**That said, we are now rapidly approaching the end of the story. Both good, and sad, I think. My first ever story, kinda sad to see it almost over, but then all good things must come to an end.**

**Now, on to the reviews. Huzzah!**

**Fission - The Virtuoso is a fun thing for me to write, even if it does seem get out of jail free cardish. But it's not over, not yet.**

**Greer - Yeah, Jaune is definitely not in the right mind. The family that he grew up with and loved, and he just completely snaps and rips into them. That was fun.**

**RedShirt - Maybe Ruby should've been more important, but it just wasn't how it was written so oh well. And Jaune x Neo, meh. I'm not a romance writer, just enjoy a bit of fluff. The getting there and making it enjoyable / make good sense is hard for me.**

**Blazing Soldier - Hey, glad you enjoyed my man. I lived just fine too, which is awesome!**

**X3 - I mean, who knows. I write Oz as a scumbag is almost all of my stories, so he may well have just threw Summer's life away because he could. And Jaune's Semblance is yet to come, but it will show up. That much I guarantee.**

**Engineer - A lot of it was for Jaune to just get that kind of shit out. He didn't get anything, you're right. Just got to vent and feel better about himself. And Qrow actually being part of the conversation is a golden opportunity that I missed, but oh well. And my version of Qrow really doesn't like Oz, but works for him out of desperation for the truth and some retribution.**

**King of Clubs - Normally, Jaune probably wouldn't have lashed out at his sister like that, but he was in full on rant and rave / hostile mode. He did whatever felt good, and that was it. Not to mention that Jaune isn't completely mentally stable.**

**cbustroyer - It is not a problem, and you're right, Ruby could have had a massive role this story. She just didn't because when I outlined the story, I wasn't super interested in seeing that particular side of it. She's not done for the rest of the story, she'll still make an appearance. So, Vytal. I skipped most of the tournament because I hate tournament arcs, I really do. Things did change, that much is a guarantee. For example, we can't have both Yang and Pyrrha in the finals. The truth of it really is that it just wasn't important to the story from Jaune's perspective. As for Maiden powers, well, you'll see.**

**Jack Redhawke - We were mostly missed, but that threat still meant that uni evacuated most of us who were semilocal students while the international kids got stuck into the one hurricane safe dorm hall. But, all is well and I am in good health, so that's great.**

**CdnInquisition - I mean, you might be seeing the first part of that here.**

**Another Stalker - Hmm. Maybe. Before I was using just plain italics for thoughts, but that might not be a bad idea. Hmm. See, I don't like the two completely separate personality deal. I really enjoy the way I've done it here, and I'm glad someone else has, too.**

**AtomicR4y - Hey, thanks, friend. Glad you've been enjoying.**

**Azetlor the Collector - Yeah, that sucked. But I'm back, and all is well! Huzzah!**

**Glover - It was harsh, and not fun. But it was good for Jaune at least.**

**Dino Guy - Yeah, it's not pretty. Jaune's life with his original family is basically just gone. Long live Jaune and the Criminal family. But yes, at least he has Qrow.**

**James Asmodeus - Hmm. I think I might do that, and knowing me, I'll model it after the Fire Emblem character sheets. That will probably show at the end of the story as a sort of beginning / end comparison. Thanks for the idea.**

**Luine Mercury - We probably could, but that would have to be a decision made by Jaune, not the readers.**

**Azrael Saint - Yeah, tense is one way to put it. But hey, even with a losing hand, you can bluff to victory. That seems to be Jaune's game plan.**

**Stryker - Yeah, not fun, Hope you came out okay my dude.**

**State of Pure Caffeine - That is perfectly fine my man. Lurkers and reviewers alike are fantastic.**

**And that's the reviews.**

**Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have heard the final bell for Criminally Good. Let the Battle of Vale begin.**

**So, that said, I know where I am in my outline now. In theory, we have only 4 chapters left. It may be more, it may not be. I just don't really know.**

**But, knowing that we're almost done, I get to start working on my next story too. The story you all have been voting on for the past month or two, I think. The results are as follows.**

**Jaune Arc: Helljumper - 49 votes.**

**End Game - 34 votes.**

**The crowd has spoken, and thus, the next story will be Helljumper. Look forward to the prologue to that story in the coming weeks.**

**Next chapter, a battle with Ironwood, and all hell breaks loose. Judgement Day is upon us.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, September 13th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	36. Chapter 36

**It's Friday. More Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 36]

"Arc." The gravely voice of a none too amused Ironwood barked out as soon as the elevator allowed him access to the bridge. His gaze like an icy fire, no matter how much of an oxymoron that might be.

I grinned, turning my back on the, admittedly, much greater threat to the whole of Vale. I spread my arms wide, a manic grin on my lips. "Ah, Jimmy, buddy. Good to see you could make it." I spared a glance over his shoulder for Winter who was looming behind him, "Ah, and I see you brought your pet, too."

Winter growled lowly at my taunt, and I just chuckled, baring my teeth. "Back for more of what I gave you last time?" She had her weapon drawn already, as did Ironwood. She looked about ready to surge past her commanding officer, but managed to hold herself back.

Ironwood leveled off his revolver, likely taking aim at my head, sparing a glance for my compatriots who had fanned out and had their weapons at the ready. "See, this? This right here. This is why it was a bad idea to ever trust you and your lot." He snarled at me; his eyes slatted into a thin glare. "You are nothing but liars and crooks, out for nobody but yourselves." He spat on the ground, stepping over the dead body of one of his slain soldiers. "So willing to just throw away the lives of those you see as beneath you."

I blinked, once, twice, three times.

He was serious.

I burst out in a fit of laughter, getting strange looks from both him and the rest of my team. They might be thinking that I've completely lost it, and considering my recent track record, that wouldn't be a poor thought.

I took a moment to compose myself. "Just ask yourself this, Jimmy. Take a moment to engage those two remaining braincells you've got." An eye twitched, and his grip on the revolver tightened. "What the hell do I get from this? What benefit do I get from obliterating Vale?"

He thought, for just the briefest of moments. Part of me started to hope that maybe he would see reason and deal with this massive problem looming just in the distance.

He smirked. "I don't negotiate with terrorists."

My spirits fell.

The General squeezed the trigger of his revolver.

Everyone flew into action.

Even before he'd finished his statement, I had ducked down, making myself a smaller target while raising the shield of Crocea Mors to deflect the explosive shell from the revolver. Then, Roman reacted. Even for his time spent in solitary and being beaten, more than likely, the man was still incredibly quick.

He read the situation as it unfolded with a keen eye that had only grown more masterful after years and years in his trade. Roman dove to the side, taking up cover behind a large set of controls that likely helped to operate the ship in some way. He fired off two rounds from his cane towards the General.

Not-Jerry and Jack both leapt into action shortly thereafter. They had far less grace than Roman, but still managed to accomplish the same sort of goal. Not-Jerry had found his way to cover, similar to Roman. While Jack charged head-on at Winter, using the pistol fire from Not-Jerry as ample cover.

Neo was gone in a flash – so much so that I never saw her move from where she stood. Could be her bullshit Semblance in action, could be me just not paying close attention.

The General didn't seem all too surprised that I had reacted, expecting this outcome and using my shield to block his, admittedly, incredibly powerful pistol rounds. Rounds that felt like they were fired from the backs of Paladins, not a man's handheld gun. Roman's explosive ordinance impacted the General's right shoulder, though he didn't seem too phased.

Winter, on the other hand, hardly seemed to care about the gunfire that was raining down on her from Not-Jerry, acting as though the explosive dust rounds were a mere pittance to be ignored. Instead, she focused on the charging Jack.

Jack was aiming to bring his Warhammer's head into Winter's side. What he hadn't completely accounted for was that Winter was infinitely faster than he'd imagined. Winter used her Semblance and managed to launch herself up into the air, vaulting over Jack. Before the poor man had a chance to spin and face her, she stabbed forward, aiming to gut him in one simple move.

A simple attack that likely would've hit, if not for Not-Jerry landing a good shot on her mid back.

As that was happening, I charged at the General, my manic grin no longer anywhere to be seen. Instead, it had been replaced by a cold, uncaring and blank expression as I rushed into the fight. _I doubt bashing the General will have much effect. He's got height and weight both on you, the best bet would be to use Crocea Mors' blade to the greatest extent possible._

I slashed the blade downwards, aiming to dig a cut into the older Atlas commander from shoulder to hip.

I had been prepared for resistance, or for him to dodge out of the way. I wasn't prepared to be stopped completely.

He had caught the blade of Crocea Mors with his right hand, revealing no signs of pain or discomfort at it. He leered down at me. "Damn brat." He spat out, the vitriol in his words attempting to burn straight though my impassive demeanor.

He brought his pistol around, flipping it in air to hit me with the hilt, hoping to either knock me out or at the least get me to disengage from him.

I didn't let show my shock at his catching my blade. While he was willing to throw surprises and curve balls, as was I. I released the hilt of Crocea Mors, dancing off to the side to just narrowly avoid having my head caved in by his attack.

He wasn't caught all that off guard either, it seemed. He threw Crocea Mors across the command deck like it were but a mere paperweight, the precious blade clattering down onto the steel floors some distance away.

I ducked down, free hand flashing back behind me to rip free one of my daggers from it's sheath. As I was doing that, Ironwood made to try and kick me, though found his ankle caught by the hook of Roman's cane.

The master criminal grinned. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to trip you up." He said, heaving his cane back and ripping the General's feet out from under him, sending him toppling down to the ground.

Roman didn't even hesitate to bring his cane back and deliver a solid golfer's style hit to the side of Ironwood's head.

What would normally be a knockout shot against someone proved to only make the General even more angry. With a speed that wasn't completely befitting of a man of his size, he leapt up, managing to get his fingers wrapped around Roman's throat.

I activated the Ice Dust crystal that was embedded in the hilt of my dagger and jabbed it down into Ironwood's right shoulder. I wasn't met with the resistance of Aura, nor did there come a rush of blood and the feeling of tearing muscle.

It was robotic.

"Good god, do you people make Robots for everything?" I asked, ripping the dagger out and jabbing it down into his spine now, finding significant Aura resistance.

That got the General to sneer and drop Roman, the master criminal sputtering and gasping for air as he scrambled back, away from the behemoth of a man.

_So, Roman's probably out of the fight. Might have his Aura completely shot._ I thought to myself as I ducked out of the way of an angry Ironwood's metal fist that was targeted for my jaw.

That was when Neo elected to reveal herself. The tiny assassin came rushing out of nowhere, and took a running leap at Ironwood.

He must've had better instincts than I did, because instead of keeping his focus on me, he spun, seeing Neo flying at him and dodged out of the way.

Neo landed next to me and pointed over towards the battle with Winter that Jack and Not-Jerry were having a hard time with. I didn't need to be told twice.

Jack was clearly flagging. The man wasn't meant for long drawn out battles like this, at least it didn't seem that way. In truth, he was just a lowlife who had good connections and good instincts. Was he any kind of combat specialist that could hope to stand up against Winter Schnee of all people? Not really, but he tried anyway.

Not-Jerry was unscathed, hiding away behind his console as he frantically reloaded his revolvers to try and help Jack against the witch of the north known as Winter.

I came rushing in behind Winter who had her attention focused on Jack still, the stocky man keeping a defensive stance.

I bashed Winter's back with my shield, forcing her to stumble forward slightly. She growled, turning her one good eye to glare at me with the fury of a thousand blizzards. I showed no sign of emotion or recognition on my face.

While I would rather have my sword in hand, I still hadn't the time to retrieve it. So, I was stuck in close quarters with a shield and a dagger. Before Winter had the chance to try and blast me with her Semblance, or stab me with her blade, I slashed the weapon across her back, ripping through the Atlas uniform that she wore, watching as the edge of the blade rippled across her Aura.

She was quick to retaliate, throwing an elbow back at me, she hit my chest, forcing me to take a step back. She tried to dance away from me, but found her backing into her previous opponent of Jack. The man wasn't going to waste time in abusing her single-minded rage, bringing his hammer down to try and bash her skull.

Despite that, she was still quick on her feet and far more refreshed and trained than Jack was. Instead of the blow landing on her head and potentially caving in her cranium, it grazed off her shoulder. By no means an insignificant hit, but not quite as effective as hoped.

I dropped the shield aspect of Crocea Mors and drew the other knife, feeling far more comfortable with twin daggers in my hands.

Winter grit her teeth as she used her Semblance to create some space between her and the two of us. I glanced back to Not-Jerry who thought that Jack and I would have this handled, opening fire on the General to help Neo.

Winter abused my brief loss of attention on her and charged in with speed rivaling even that of Neo, I figure. I felt as the tip of her rapier slammed into my chest, just beneath where my plate armor was. Thankfully, the blow wasn't incredibly damaging thanks to the thin layer of chain I wore beneath it, but it still hurt none the less.

I grit my teeth and stepped in closer to her guard, the blade sliding off my side. I slashed at her chest and neck, though she managed to once again use her Semblance to great effect. I found my movements sluggish, almost like I'd been hit with my own Gravity grenade. A brief glance at my feet revealed a Glyph there that was black in nature, somehow slowing me tremendously.

Jack, however, wasn't ensnared. He launched himself forward for another attack, trying to hit Winter square in the back with his Warhammer. The blow landed, and the Specialist was sent stumbling forward. The downside to that was that her concentration on the glyph broke, and I surged forward rather suddenly.

I lost my balance and came tumbling down, armor and all, with Winter. Thankfully, she had fallen first, and I was atop her. She had no easy way out.

That said, she still managed to throw me off her before I could take any advantage of the position. While I don't doubt that she'd take incredible satisfaction in pinning me down and beating me to a pulp, to try such would be to reveal herself to attack from Jack.

She danced back once again, wielding her rapier in hand as she carefully eyed the two of us.

She made a decision, or so it seemed, and came rushing at us again. Once again, I was ensnared in a glyph that I couldn't escape. Though, she chose her target more carefully. She went after Jack.

Jack failed to block her first hit. And her second.

He realized that his Warhammer was more a hinderance at this range than a boon, and dropped it, using the weight to try and throw Winter off. I, meanwhile, was struggling to escape the glyph that was ten times as effective as any grenade I'd had access to.

Jack's plan worked briefly, letting him get in closer to Winter. He delivered a solid uppercut to her jaw, making the woman stumble back slightly. He grinned, finding something he might beat her at. He didn't notice as she flashed a dagger into her hand.

My eyes went wide.

Jack charged in for another series of blows, keeping her rapier ineffective at close range. Winter smirked, leaving herself wide open for an attack.

"Watch out!" I shouted out to him.

It was too late.

Jack had gone in for a sucker punch straight to her throat, a good a place as any to hit an opponent. A thought process Winter had as well.

Right as Jack got in close enough, Winter pushed forward herself, the nimble dagger in her hand flashing up against the artificial lighting that engulfed the Command Deck.

The blade dug into the side of his neck, meeting minimal resistance from his Aura before shattering it completely and tearing into the flesh of his neck.

Winter ripped the blade out, its whole length covered in red, a satisfied gleam in her eye.

Jack stood still, eyes wide as he realized what had happened. He began to gurgle and clutch at his throat in a vain attempt to stem the bleeding, somehow.

Winter laughed coldly, kicking him in the chest. He toppled over like a log, collapsed on the floor in an ever growing pool of crimson that came pouring from his neck, still gurgling and clawing in a desperate attempt for another breath.

She set her gaze on me, a twisted, satisfied smirk on her lips. "Where's the tough guy act now?" She taunted, knowing that my gaze was on my fallen teammate and friend.

In his last moments, he managed some nature of clarity, looking over to me. He smiled as best he could, offering me a nod. _Even now… He's got faith in me. After I got him killed…_

There was a shout, and Not-Jerry came charging forward, sword in hand, and a glare I'd never seen before in his eye.

That caught Winter off guard as the goon came crashing into her. To call it a graceful, or even coordinated assault would be laughable. Not-Jerry was never particularly one for melee combat, always keeping himself at range, either with a rifle or pistol. I now saw why.

That said though, his plan had gotten me free from the glyph as she lost focus again.

She threw Not-Jerry from her, glaring at the man. She raised her rapier to try and strike him down as well, but was met by me instead.

I crashed into her, this time sending her toppling down to the ground. I pinned her down as best I could. The woman writhed and squirmed, trying to weasel her way out from the pin I had locked her in, but to little avail. Dagger in hand, I brought it down with all the force I could muster, hoping that I might shatter her Aura and finish the job I'd started with her months ago.

The blade never landed, and before I could particularly process what was going on, I was sent flying, crashing hard into one of the walls of the airship, making quite the me sized dent in the metal work.

For the first time since engaging Winter, I took stock of the scene.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

Roman, at some point, had gotten himself back up and tried to fight once more before he was knocked out. At least, I have to hope he's just knocked out.

Neo, while an incredible assassin, and combatant all around, she's a glass cannon. It was evident in the way that she was pitifully crawling her way towards Roman that her Aura had been shattered somewhere along the way, likely leaving her with more than a few injuries.

Not-Jerry was in a daze some distance away, but was being ignored by Ironwood and Winter.

Through all of that, Ironwood still stood.

The man was, seemingly, half machine. His formerly regal and imposing General's uniform was now in tatters. Ripped, shredded, and burnt in a few places. He had taken quite the beating if the damage was anything to go by, but he had still come out on top.

I groaned, struggling my way out of the indent in the wall that Ironwood had made. Somewhere in the impact, I had lost my daggers as well. Maybe it was when he hit me and I started seeing stars, maybe it was when I hit the wall. I don't really know.

"You've lost, Arc." Ironwood called out, missing his pistol entirely. "Give it up now, and maybe you'll get to live and see your trial."

Once again, I groaned, slowly seeing the world come back to focus. Ironwood was slowly approaching me, with Winter a few paces behind him.

I swallowed, shakily pulling myself up to my feet, the world was spinning far more than it ought to, unless the Grimm dragon had pulled the airship out of the sky.

"Tch. Nothing to say, mister mastermind? No witty retort, no snide remark before it all ends?" Ironwood taunted farther, closing the distance between us.

"Yeah, I got something to say." A voice that decidedly didn't belong to me called out.

"I'll see you in hell." Not-Jerry finished, charging the General, his sword in hand.

Ironwood nor Winter had the chance to respond or react as Not-Jerry plunged his blade deep into the General's lower back, so much so that the tip of the blade came out the other side, only partially stained red.

Ironwood turned on a heel and picked Not-Jerry up by his neck, using the mechanical hand. He sat there and stared into my friend's eyes as he squeezed the life out of him.

Not-Jerry. A man I teased relentlessly. A man I'd watched rise from a lowly goon to one of Junior's most trusted. A man I'd come to trust and call my friend. A man who now hung limp in the grip of an Atlesian General. A man tossed aside as though he were nothing more than a sack of meat.

Time quite literally seemed to stop in that moment.

"It… It can't be…" I muttered out.

"No, no no no no no. Not like this…" I rasped out, on the verge of tears it felt like.

"This… this can't be how it ends… First Jack, and next Not-Jerry… Both dead… for nothing…" I said, taking a long, shaky breath.

I lifted my head, looking up at Ironwood's cold, victorious gaze. He did it. He won. He defeated me and my little cabal. He defeated people working on the same side as he was. What a hero.

I spat on the ground, glowering at Ironwood still. The man didn't seem to move, nor take note of my muttering and actions.

I growled lowly, shaking my head. Leave it to Ironwood to give me a taste of my own medicine. Sit there, no action, no reaction, nothing but a cold, emotionless visage.

I shifted my gaze to Winter. She, too, seemed not to be moving.

Rather, she was moving. Just incredibly slowly. Almost like she was under the effects of her own glyph but amplified even farther than that.

I looked over to Neo and Roman. Roman, still unconscious. Neo's already slow crawl had her looking all but completely still, with only slight movement happening.

I blinked, piecing it all together.

"Time has been… stopped?" I asked aloud to nobody in particular.

I got no response other than my voice.

I pulled myself up to my feet, still feeling woozy.

Odd, I could still move around freely, almost as though I were unaffected by whatever had happened.

I started to stumble forward, feeling a pounding headache spike in my temples. I groaned, though pushed on. The farther I moved, the worse the headache got. As I brushed past Ironwood, it got to a point where it felt as though if I were to take another step, I'd collapse on the floor then and there.

This, well, it only had one real explanation, didn't it? At least, only one that could be logical. A Semblance. To be more specific, _my_ Semblance.

Some nature of time dilation, I guess.

I shook my head; I didn't have time to think about that right this instant.

I deployed my two shotgun gauntlets, trying to get closer to Ironwood. What I found was that what was practically a three-foot radius around him threatened to make me pass out should I push beyond it. The same went for Winter, and Not-Jerry.

I licked my lips, closing my eyes for just a brief moment, letting out a slow breath. I focused on my Semblance, on time passing returning to normal, and for just a brief moment, it seemed like nothing happened.

I opened my eyes, and suddenly my ears were filled with the roar of the idle engines of the battleship. Ironwood and Winter moved normally again.

It was only half a second before they realized I'd vanished.

Both alarmed, they spun to see me with my shotgun gauntlets readied.

"The curtain falls on your final act, General." I spat out, firing off two shells into Ironwood's head.

The effect was grandiose, his head turning into nothing more than a stump and red mist, thanks to the explosive shells I had loaded in that gauntlet.

Winter was shell shocked. Completely stock still, unable to move or process what had happened.

I ejected the empty shells from the gauntlets, a new pair sliding into place.

Still, the Specialist didn't move.

"See you in hell, Ice Queen." I said, firing off another two rounds into her.

* * *

**Well. That. That was definitely a thing.**

**Fs in the chat for our two friends Not-Jerry and Jack. You will both be dearly missed.**

**And, on to reviews.**

**Th 1998 - Can confirm, am a Jhin one trick.**

**AtomicR4y - Glad to be back and posting. Always feels good.**

**Engineer - I mean, true. They went along, and two of them paid the price for it. May they rest in peace. Well, Jaune's bribing of Qrow aside, it worked. Ironwood setting a trap might not have been intentional, but it definitely kinda went that way.**

**Dragon Lord Draco - Well, we now see Jaune's Semblance. The full details of which I'll explain for the curious after reviews.**

**Dino Guy - Maybe they should ram the dragon with an airship. Maybe they'll just blow it up with enough high powered explosive missiles. Who knows.**

**King of Clubs - ... he figured it out. He actually figured it out. Alright, that's it people. Wrap it up, we're done here. (Joking, of course.)**

**cbustroyer - Yeah. The Dragon is an issue, isn't it? I've been quietly cackling because nobody really remembers the dragon, like at all. But that thing is scary as hell if you don't have silver eyes to trump-card it.**

**Azetlor the Collector - Someone called it on the nose, that Winter would be there. Well done, friend. I'm also scared of the ending of this story, because I know what it is. It also means that I have to write a new story that has to, somehow, stack up to this one in quality. I managed to set a decently high bar, it seems. As for a prequel / alternate events of the story, I dunno. The alternate events bit could be interesting, there were definitely a load of different choices that got made that would drastically change things.**

**X3 - Yeah. We get to see Jaune and co vs Dragon next chapter. It'll be fun. Maybe. Depends on your definition, honestly. And you're right, with the capital ship, the Criminal Cabal that Jaune is running becomes a military power house.**

**Azrael Saint - Glad you liked it, my man. And, well, less Jaune bullshitting his way out, more him unlocking his Semblance at the last moment. Still works. Sorta.**

**2 AM Guest - I definitely feel the excitement / sadness with you man. I will disclose nothing that will happen in future events. It will all come in due time, I promise. And well, you were right. Ironwood and Jaune are on the same side, but Ironwood 'doesn't negotiate with terrorists.' and thus, Ironwood, Winter, jack, and Not-Jerry all died because of it. If only Ironwood could have seen reason.**

**And that's the reviews, friends.**

**Okay, so I know I'm gonna get questions about Jaune's Semblance, so here it is.**

**It's Time Dilation. He can slow time to a near stop. While that's happened, Jaune can freely move about as though time were normal. However, as Jaune encountered here, he can't get too close to other people. Using his Semblance greatly drains his Aura, to the point that even if he were at full Aura, completely unharmed, using it would probably take down two thirds of his Aura. Beyond that, it's also exhausting physically, too. While to him it looks like he's moving at normal speed, in reality, he's moving faster than basically any living creature ever, rapidly draining whatever energy he has. That was why he felt basically like he couldn't take another step forward, because it would've been too much for him.**

**So, hope that appeases any Semblance based questions. Yes, this was planned from the start. Anything I missed, I'll answer either in PMs or the next review section.**

**That aside, it really kinda hurt for me to write the deaths of not just the OCs, but Winter, too. Ironwood not so much, because like Oz, I just don't like him. Fs in the chat for our bois Not-Jerry and Jack. You will be missed.**

**That, and it's like 4 AM at the time of me finishing writing this. Why do you do this to me, Insomnia? Curse you. I need sleep, damnit.**

**Next chapter, the team goes dragon hunting, and a little bit of other stuff. Mostly dragon hunting. It'll be grand.**

**Next Chapter: Monday, September 16th**


	37. Chapter 37

**Monday, how I despise you. Oh well, at least we get Criminally Good.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 37]

Winter collapsed in a heap. Her normally white and pristine military uniform, now stained red with blood and torn with the after effects of a buckshot ripping through her chest.

Still, though, she didn't die. She looked up at me, understanding dawning in her gaze as I looked down at her. I wanted to say it felt good – that it felt good to kill the woman responsible for me losing not only Not-Jerry, but Jack, Winston, and Jess, too. I wanted to relish in avenging their deaths, but I couldn't.

The woman that had been a thorn in my side for ages, now lay before me, slowly bleeding to death. There wasn't any hate in her eyes – not anymore. Instead, it was replaced by a cold acceptance. That she had been beaten at her own game. Acceptance that I was her killer.

For a brief moment, I could conjure up his face again. Bloodied, beaten, accepting. A hole bashed through his forehead from the point of my shield. For all the differences between the two scenarios and people, they looked almost the exact same. It sent a chill running up my spine, radiating out over my whole body.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. _It was her or me. This was always how it was going to end._ I opened my eyes, noting that Winter had drifted off – eyes closed as she clutched at her chest. I stowed the shotgun gauntlets, the weapons returning to their inert state as simple bracers.

I turned my back on the scene.

Neo had made her way to Roman in the time that I had taken to handle Winter and Ironwood. She was leaning against the console that Roman had collapsed into, making wild gestures at him. I noted that I could hear the low rasp of Roman responding, so that at least, was a good thing. He was alive and managing.

I approached the two. One, my mentor. The man who had taken me in, not expecting a thing in return. A thief who couldn't just stand by and do nothing while he saw someone he didn't know struggle through life. Roman Torchwick, the renowned criminal mastermind of Vale, patron saint of liars, thieves and crooks. A man the world considered a heartless bastard – the man who took me in and treated me like his own flesh and blood.

The other, a stalwart ally. Through hell and back, it didn't matter. Neo stuck by my side, even when there was nothing to tie us together anymore. She helped me through the tough times, watched my back, and helped to turn me into the man I am today. An incredible assassin – just the same as Roman. She accepted me, helped me, protected me. More than anyone else was willing to do.

I crouched down next to Roman, ignoring the screams of pain that came from my aching legs. "Well, good to see you made it out alive." I commented.

Roman barked out a single laugh, wincing as he did so. "Hah, yeah." His gaze traced back to the bloody scene I had left behind. "Can't say the same for the others, though."

I nodded grimly, glancing back at the corpses of those I'd left behind. "They knew what they were signing up for."

The command deck was suddenly filled with noise. Alarms, sirens, all sorts of consoles beeping loudly at us, each demanding attention all of a sudden.

I could see why.

One look out the viewport said it all. The dragon had arrived, bringing with it a fleet of Nevermore. The walls that stood strong around the city had been breached. A black, red, and white swarm of assorted Grimm were starting to rampage through the city.

A massive Nevermore, dwarfed in size only by the dragon Grimm, had descended upon the Amity Coliseum. Right where the finals were in full swing.

I took note that the rest of the fleet Ironwood had brought with him to 'secure' Vale, were already moving into action. The four other warships were spreading out across the city, all bombarding their significant firepower down onto the streets that had been flooded with Grimm. Combat Bullhead were being scrambled and sent out to try and counter the insane number of Nevermore and Griffins that had come behind the two aerial beasts.

I looked back to Roman. "Think you can figure out how to get this thing's weapons online?"

He grimaced as he pulled himself up to his feet, somewhat shaky, but able to stand. "Eh, how hard could it be? Just start pushing buttons till something explodes." He said, stumbling forward. I watched with a critical eye as he slowly made his way to one of the consoles, slipping into the seat that was surrounded in a semi-circle of consoles that were each beeping in demand of his immediate attention.

Neo was laid back against the console now, her eyes closed. I pursed my lips. "I hate to ask, but Neo, think you can get the ship moving?"

She cracked open one eye as she thought on my question, looking me over. She shrugged, doing her best to hide the wince of pain that came with the slight movement.

I licked my lips. "Well, we're going to try at least." I said as I strode over to her. I bent down and picked her up in a bridal carry. I suspected that she had a broken leg considering that she had been slowly crawling over to Roman last I saw her move.

She jumped, wincing at the sudden jostling movement of my roughly picking her up. "Sorry, sorry." I muttered as I readjusted her in my arms. I took her to one of the consoles that still had all of its functions working and gently sat her down in the chair, trying to keep from hurting her any more than I already had. "Just, I don't know, see what you can get done."

She nodded, turning her attention to the consoles before her, tapping away.

"Hey, Jaune. I don't mean to worry you, but we aren't looking too hot." Roman called out from his seat. I was quick to dash over and glance at the screen over his shoulder.

I could see what he meant. He had dug up a visualization for all of the combat bots and Paladins that were automated and controlled by the ship. What should be nearly a thousand of these bots, and fifty Paladins were all reading as destroyed or offline.

I narrowed my eyes. "How… The Grimm only just hit – there's no way that they've destroyed an entire unit already…"

Roman nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly." He said, tapping a few more times at the screen, pulling up another visualization. "It's not just the one unit, either. It's all of them. I might believe the casualties if there were still operational bots under our control, but it's widespread. Complete blackout from entire units."

There was a loud beeping sound that echoed out across the whole of the command deck, and on the viewport, a holographic message declaring an incoming transmission.

I glanced over to Roman, who just shrugged. I scrambled across the deck to another set of consoles, and accepted the transmission.

_"James, we've got…" _The voice of Ozpin called out, sounding stressed. It was after half a moment that he realized who he was talking to. His normal cool demeanor returned, though the cracks were evident. _"Ah, Mr. Arc, and Mr. Torchwick. How unexpected."_

I glared up at the screen, knowing he could see us if he knew who it was that answered. "Cut the shit, Ozzy. This is no time to be playing mind games." I paused ever so briefly. "If you'll look out your window, headed straight for Beacon, is a massive fucking dragon. Vale is being razed to the ground as we speak. I swear to god, if you start talking in riddles, I'll blow you up myself."

Ozpin cleared his throat. _"Understood, Mr. Arc. There won't be any need for that. Where is the General?"_

I stepped back, waving a hand over towards the bloody corpse that was Ironwood. "He's indisposed at the moment." I took a deep breath and let it out, glaring up at the screen. "For now, I am acting commander of this ship."

_"I see."_ He paused for a brief moment, showing no sadness or remorse for his dead colleague. _"As that is the case, I request your aid. As you so eloquently put it, there is a 'massive fucking dragon' headed for Beacon. I was hoping that the Atlas Navy might be willing to assist in handling it?"_

I ran my fingers through my hair. "We'll do what we can." I glanced over to Roman briefly, pondering on telling Ozpin what we know. "Things are looking pretty grim here, Ozzy. We've got no crew, not to mention that our combat bots – they're all reading as offline."

_"I don't suppose that's because you killed the crew?"_ He snarked back at me, making me clench my fist tight around the armrest of the seat I was in. _"As for your combat bots, that is another issue. They've gone rogue, attacking Huntsmen and killing civilians."_

I blinked, staring up at the old headmaster. That was news. Bad news. As far as I could tell, the combat bots were the only major military force that Atlas had brought with them. Sure, there were a few teams of Specialists and a few other soldiers, but that was it. Everything else was automated combat bots.

_"Well, while I would love to stay and chat, I've got some unruly guests to tend to."_ He paused a brief moment, meeting my gaze for what felt like the first time. _"We're relying on you, Jaune."_ He said, ending the transmission.

I looked back over to Roman. "Well, that explains our lack of bots."

He nodded, still tapping away at the screen. "Right you are, it does. Any ideas on dealing with that?"

I bit my lower lip, thinking on it. Something that we thought of in one of the meetings came to mind. "Can you tell how they're routed? Are they direct connect to the ship, or through the CCT, somehow?"

"I'll get back to you on that." He said, not looking up from the screen as he tapped away.

Neo, it didn't seem, was having a lot of luck on getting the ship moving. I looked out over the city; eyes drawn to the dragon. It seemed to be dropping something. _Bombs? No, the Grimm can't manufacture explosives… So, what is it dropping?_

I didn't have time to think much about it. I knew that just sitting around was a waste of my time when I could be doing something to help. I looked back to the console that I was sat at and started flipping through screens and hitting a few buttons.

After a minute or two of fiddling with the system, I found a way to route communications through the ship, not the CCT. It significantly lessened our effective comms range, but it was secure. At least, in theory.

I set up a direct connection to Junior.

The man answered pretty quick.

_"Well, I'll be damned." _Junior said, a series of explosions and gunfire cutting him off. _"Nice way to start the night – Grimm everywhere. That damned thing is shitting them out like candy."_

_So that's what it's dropping on the city. More Grimm._ I shook my head. "Right, good to hear you're alive, Junior. What's the sit rep?"

_"Funny you should ask. It's fucking chaos. Wild, uncontrolled chaos. We're managing to hold the street that the Club is on, but I'm not too sure how long that'll last."_

"Right, well, do your best. If you see any human Atlas soldiers, take them in. The bots and other Paladins have gone rogue to work with the Grimm. Keep rescuing civilians as best you can." I paused a beat, hearing the engines roar to life and the ship shift as it started to move.

_"Think that's Cinder's doing?"_ He asked, with more gunfire and explosions drowning out everything else.

"Almost assuredly. She did something to the CCT. Something that allows her to control messages, or something like that. I don't know. It doesn't matter." I looked over to Roman who was waving for my attention.

"You're right, kid. Goes through the CCT. Cinder's the one running the show." Roman said.

I nodded. "Right. Junior, keep this line open. It's direct connect to the ship."

_"Got it."_

I glanced over towards Neo who was smiling, looking proud of herself. "Well done there, Neo." I looked back out the viewport. "Get us headed towards Beacon and the CCT." I commanded, not bothering to look back and see her response. I turned my attention back to Roman. "How about the rest of our firepower?"

He nodded, grinning a bit. "Fully operational." He rubbed his hands together. "This bad boy is packing enough heat to make the Breach look like a joke, Grimm and Fang included."

I nodded, drumming my fingers against the armrest of my seat. "Good. I get the feeling we're going to need all of it."

Outside, I could see that the chaos was still raging everywhere.

The massive Nevermore had abandoned its target of Amity and had instead gone for one of the ships Atlas brought with it. The ship was further being swarmed by insane numbers of other aerial Grimm. Its close-range canon defenses were being overwhelmed. For each Grimm it shot down, two more seemed to replace it.

I would've called to try and assist the ship, but we risked helping to blow it out of the sky in the process. We couldn't do much more than watch as the warship was slowly torn from the sky to crash into the city.

The Bullheads that had been scrambled by all the ships were long since destroyed, leaving the Grimm to freely dominate the skies.

Despite that, the capital ship didn't care. Of the fleet, ours had the most defenses. A thicker hull, more close-range canons, a better engine. Everything about this ship made the others pale in comparison, even size.

The ship was shifted into full speed ahead now that Neo had flipped us around to face Beacon. Our sights trained directly on the Grimm dragon.

I pulled up the comms again, sending a request for one of our other ships.

I was met with a room full of people, but foremost amongst them was a man in a military uniform reminiscent of Winter's.

_"General. What are your orders?"_ He parroted off almost mechanically without looking to see who he was talking to.

His whole ship was shaking and swarmed by Grimm. If the rampant beeping and shouting from the rest of his crew was anything to go by, they weren't in a good way.

I grinned slightly. "Glad to hear I've already been promoted." I said, the man who spoke freezing in fear as he realized who he was talking to. "I'll cut to the chase. As you're probably well aware, the combat bots we've deployed all across the city? They've gone rogue." I paused, letting him process what I was saying. "They're being controlled through the CCT, which is how we get our orders and commands out to them. Destroy the CCT, destroy the control that's got them going rogue."

_"Why should I do anything you say? A terrorist and a criminal? The epitome of untrustworthiness."_ He spat out, glaring at me.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Listen, kid, I don't give a fuck if you trust me or not. This is already a shitshow – one that's got your people implicated because the bots are killing innocents. Destroy the CCT, stop the bots killing innocents."

_"If it's so important, why don't you do it?"_ He shot back.

I glared at the man, making him shrink slightly as his ship continued to rock and shake. "Because, I'm pretty sure your pittance of a ship won't do a damn thing to that dragon. Destroy the CCT, even if you've got to crash your ship into it. Save thousands."

He seemed to ponder that for a moment, though shook his head. _"I won't. I'd rather die fighting the Grimm tha– "_A gunshot rang out on his side, and the man collapsed in a heap, howling in pain.

The spot he had been filling before was replaced with a younger looking woman. _"Do I trust you? No. Are you making sense? Yes." _She glared down at the whimpering man beneath her. _"I'm not dying for your pride, damnit."_

She cut off the communication, and I could only hope that she would actually follow through.

"Jaune, we're coming in range of the dragon." Roman called out over his shoulder.

I nodded. "Weapons free. Let's see how well this thing takes to the unfettered firepower of Atlas."

The ship came to life, roaring like an angry beast as almost every single weapon that could be fired was. A cloud of explosions – Dust and regular alike enveloped the dragon's backside, completely masking it from our assault.

I gripped the arms of the chair I was in, leaning forward to watch the scene intently. _Come on. Come on, this is it._ I didn't notice that I had started holding my breath.

After about a solid fifteen seconds of constant firing on our part, the guns fell silent. The smoke and dust started to clear.

The dragon still hung in the air.

"The fuck…" I muttered, letting out the breath I had been holding. I looked over to Roman. "Was that everything?"

He nodded grimly. "It was. Every missile, explosive round, and canon that this ship is equipped with. All unloaded into that thing." He let his gaze trail over it. "That's not to say we didn't wound it, but that's the thing. We only wounded it."

I glanced over to the CCT, seeing the airship that we had just given orders to under attack by the massive Nevermore. It was careening at full speed straight for the CCT.

It crashed into it, creating a massive explosion that ended up enveloping the front half of the ship, the CCT, and the Nevermore.

I pursed my lips, looking back to the dragon that was now sat atop the tallest spire in Beacon. _It's a stupid plan. It's suicidal._ One part of me pointed out. _Do we have any other choice?_ Another, cold and calculating voice pointed out. A voice that I recognized as The Virtuoso.

_It would make everything we just did – rescuing Roman, losing Not-Jerry and Jack, for nothing. None of us are in any shape to survive that crash._ I argued. _No, we're not. But, be honest with yourself. What's worth more? The lives of you and your friends, or the lives of the people of Vale? Could you live with yourself if you turned your back now, just to save your friends? _The cold voice asked.

I knew the answer, and so did The Virtuoso. Everything we'd done so far, this, the Breach, allying ourselves with Ozpin and Junior. We didn't do it just so that my friends – no, my family – could live to see another day. We always wanted to protect the innocents.

_Have you made your choice?_ The voice asked, sounding unamused as always. I nodded. "I have."

Roman glanced over to me. "You have what?" He asked, sounding confused.

I licked my lips again, shaking my head. "I've got a plan, it's stupid, crazy, and suicidal." I got up out of my seat and walked over to stand between Roman and Neo. "I won't make you two go through with it if you don't want to."

I ran my fingers through my hair again. "We just threw everything we've got at that dragon. Another ship just sacrificed itself to destroy the CCT, and then the Nevermore that had been tormenting us." There was a spark of realization as to where I was going on both of their faces. "I'm suggesting that we do something similar. Drive this ship at full speed straight into that dragon. Pin it to Remnant and hope against all hope that the explosion and impact is enough."

"I'm the one who came up with the idea. I'm the commander and captain of this ship – it's only right that I go down with it." I looked between the two. "I won't blame either of you for leaving."

Roman chuckled, shaking his head. "Really, Jaune?" I blinked, not knowing what he was planning on as he got to his feet. "After everything we've been through. You think that I'll just up and abandon you now? You, who I fully expected to turn on me, but stayed through to the end. You who organized everything just to come and bust me out. You who I've watched develop from the scared and lost kid into the man you are today." He strode forward, still wobbly and unsure, but managing to keep a smile through it all. "Family sticks together, Jaune. All the way to the end." He clapped a hand on my shoulder, still smiling wide.

I pursed my lips, fighting back the urge to cry at that. It shouldn't be that easy to bring me to tears, but here we are, right on the verge of breaking. I wanted nothing more than to let it out and wrap Roman in a hug.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as a few tears slipped past, streaking down my cheeks. I smiled at him. "Till the end, then." I looked over to Neo then. "And you?" I was pretty sure I knew the answer, but it never hurt to ask.

She smiled warmly, nodding.

It felt like a weight was lifted off my chest – a weight that I didn't know was there until it was gone. I turned back to look out the viewport.

The dragon was rapidly growing in our field of view.

It wouldn't be long before we made impact with the creature.

I thought about sending a message to Junior, but we were well out of comms range by now.

_This is it. This is the last card we've got to play._ I thought to myself as I stared at the dragon.

"It's been a wild ride. From nobody, to petty thug, to criminal mastermind, to terrorist." I laughed, shaking my head as I stood next to Roman, watching our impending doom. "I think it's time for one last change."

"It's time for us to become big damn heroes." I said as the nose of the ship came crashing into the dragon's body.

* * *

**And, that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Criminally Good ends...**

**No, not really. I kid. We've still got a little left to go.**

**That said though, it's not looking good. Jaune is going with the last play he's got - the only card left in his shitty hand, and he's got to play it. Here's hoping it all goes to plan.**

**Now, on to reviews.**

**Just A Fool - Glad you like the characters. You might not like me anymore, however. I'm mean to my characters.**

**Mjonnbu - Glad you enjoyed.**

**The Homogenizer - Can confirm it was rushed and haphazard and generally poorly done. Oops.**

**Sgt Soul Snatcher - Big F for my boys Not-Jerry and Jack. Winter, well, she's dead. And his semblance is the former. It slows time way down around him, but at massive cost.**

**Boerhae - Oh, someone who actively recalls Paul's name. Big F for my favorite OC.**

**Luine Mercury - And that's how I know I did well. I was setting them both up to be antagonists that felt good to see die. Same goes for Not-Jerry and Jack. Their deaths hurt to see because we liked them as characters - even if they are OCs. Well, we see what happened to the ship. It wasn't so much assaulted by Glenn the Dragon, but it did end up going down. Now the question is if it actually killed Glenn.**

**Arrogant Comprehender - That might happen. It wouldn't be on this story - maybe as a oneshot sort of what would've happened if Jaune went full on Virtuoso and let himself be completely consumed by it.**

**Knight of the Wind - Big F.**

**Engineer - It went to hell real quick. We don't know what exactly Cinder was plotting, but it wouldn't surprise anyone, not even Jaune, if he ended up playing right into her hand. See, the thing about Jaune's semblance was that in the first draft, it was just so busted that it made him unkillable, basically forever. It was kinda hard for me to find a way to make it still useful without being busted.**

**Dino Guy - Yeah, death. Death everywhere. Glad you've been enjoying.**

**2 AM Guest - Well, someone hit the nail on the head. Well done.**

**Xealchim - Only time will tell, friend. Only time will tell. And, well, even if unexpected, it felt good.**

**Knight Galavant - I'm watching you and your E's, buddy boy.**

**X3 - Uh, seeing as I don't really know who Kiritsugu is, I'll just say I don't know? His Semblance is what it says on the tin - he can slow time to a near stop, but can't stop time completely. And, well, Winter died too. And, well, Ozzy is a bit fucked, isn't he? At least Jaune is still a good guy and came to his aid. Well, we'll see the aftermath soon enough.**

**Glover - A criminal, a terrorist, and the man responsible for not only Ironwood and Winter's deaths? Yeah, Weiss wouldn't be happy.**

**cbustroyer - It is, in fact, busted. Even despite the limitations I imposed on it. The limitations, though, turn it from god-tier powers, which it would definitely be without them, to just a busted Semblance. And an AU to Criminally Good has been something I'm getting a lot of requests for, and I can see why. This story could've gone in a lot of different ways. The short of it is, maybe. I've got other ideas floating around in my head, and I don't want to burn out on this particular RWBYverse I've created. Could I come back at some point, maybe. Will it be any time particularly soon? Probably not.**

**Josh Spicer - Jaune might not be a terrorist, but Ironwood is as stubborn as an ass. And maybe Jaune shouldn't have killed them, but maybe Ironwood and Winter shouldn't have attacked and killed his friends. That's neither here nor there, I suppose.**

**Another Stalker - I think they're not liked because Oz is a moron, and Ironwood is just a jackass from what we've seen. And, well, death. Death everywhere. I played the long game with Not-Jerry and Jack, getting us to like them as characters before having them meet their fate. They will be missed. And ODSTs are fantastic. Wish we knew more from their PoV, but oh well.**

**D1NGORED - It is broken, but has some limitations. Big F for the boys.**

**gasenator - Nope. This isn't a happy ending sort of story, it never was going to be... Like I said somewhere in an AN near the start: beware the drama tag. Glad you liked Not-Jerry a lot - he was an OC that just spawned and started developing as the story went on. Fun fact, he doesn't even exist in the outline. But, I'm glad he does exist. I really do enjoy him.**

**Cloud Link Zero - You are 100% right, that fits perfectly. Well done.**

**Ascended Humanity - Cinder will be pleased. Then again, Jaune just crashed a ship into her dragon.**

**Azetlor the Collector - Since when were you the voice for Jaune's thoughts?**

**D N Works - He knew death was a possibility. But knowing it and seeing it are two different things. Reality sucks.**

**Insane Wombat - ZA WARUDO. Indeed, this is where it came from. ZA WARUDO.**

**Tanukimon - Glad you've enjoyed mate.**

**Azrael Saint - That cliffhanger was intentional. And so was this one. It's a tense as fuck ending for the story, and the drama tag is rearing its ugly head.**

**Big Bee - Yuuuuup. Exactly where it came from.**

**Lord of the Seas - Well, shit. That is quite the compliment. Hate to say that I'm responsible for killing him, but happy that I'm good enough at what I do to elicit that kind of emotion.**

**Valerious Lake - Embrace the darkness. The looming threat of the drama tag has finally come. *insert maniacal laughter here***

**And that is the reviews.**

**So, that was fun, right?**

**If anyone is sad and looking for something else from me to read, I just posted the Prologue to Helljumper yesterday. Y'all should go check it out if you're into that sort of thing. Halo concepts meets RWBY's world and characters. It'll be a fun ride when it gets in full swing.**

**And, well, CG. Ah, yes, CG. How far you've come. From stories about Jaune fighting lowly criminals to Jaune crashing a hijacked Atlas airship into a Grimm dragon.**

**Next chapter, well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**Next Chapter: Friday, September 20th**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Friday afternoon, and we've got CG.**

**There is an important AN after the reviews, so go check that out.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 38]

I groaned, slowly coming back to the world of the living.

The last thing I can remember was throttling that overgrown lizard with the full might of an Atlesian battleship moving at top speed… A desperate play – one that had little to no real chance of success – but it was the only play I had left.

Slowly, the world started to come back to me. First thing was the sound of crackling fires. Fire that could only be the result of our crash through the spire in the center of Beacon. It seemed to be all around me, not coming from any one particular direction… _Am I still in the ship? Or was it so dramatically destroyed that I'm out, exposed to the world and the elements?_

I resolved to try and answer even that basic question. With what felt like an impossible amount of effort, I slowly cracked my eyes open. Even though the sun had long since passed, leaving only the broken moon hanging above, it felt like a blinding light being shined right into my eyes.

I groaned, though pushed through. My eyes slowly reacclimated to the sudden burst of light, and the world around me started falling into focus.

I was, in fact, no longer on the command deck of the once proud Atlas warship. I could see the remains of said ship half sticking out of the ground about a hundred meters behind me. The once proud airship now was nothing more than a pile of white and gray slag and scrap dug deep into the courtyard of Beacon Academy.

Outside the ship, I was surrounded not by metal scraps from the impact, but stone and concrete that had come from the tower we had taken down in the impact as well. The dragon was yet nowhere to be seen. Potentially killed, due to Grimm fading once slain, or having managed to survive and slither away to lick its wounds, if the Grimm even did that.

Every movement I made had my body screaming out in pain. Even the simple act of breathing sent shocks of pain running through my chest. Despite that, though, I wasn't going to simply sit idle. I grit my teeth and tried to pull myself up from the seated position I was currently in.

My muscles revolted in agony – pain rippling through every part of my body as I tried to force the tired, worn, and beaten muscle to work. I hissed in pain, keeping my jaw clenched tight as I cowed my body into submission.

After what felt like minutes of pain and torture to rise to my feet, I accomplished that simple goal.

I didn't need to try and test if I had any Aura left. I was lucky to have even survived the crash at all – a great part of that I don't doubt was in thanks to the limited Aura supply I had remaining before the crash.

The next goal I had was simple – I had to find my friends. Even if they were dead… I couldn't live with myself not knowing what happened to them. A quick survey of the area around me didn't reveal the telltale dichromatic nature of Neo, nor the beacon like orange hair of Roman.

All I found were the corpses of those I had left in my wake.

I closed my eyes and let out a quiet sigh. I couldn't just sit here and look over the dead. I couldn't let the memories and thoughts that they'd bring up wash over me. Not when I still had work to do.

I felt at my hip for the telltale and comforting grip of Crocea Mors. A grip that wasn't present. It was then that I remembered – Ironwood threw the sword across the deck. A sword that could be just about anywhere in this mass of wreckage by now.

I felt for my grenades, finding that the bandolier of Dust explosives, too, had abandoned me sometime during the crash. The leather strap likely caught and tore on a stray piece of metal that had come in the wreckage of the ship.

I felt for and found both of my daggers still firmly in their sheathes behind my back, tightly attached to my belt.

I deployed both of the shotgun gauntlets I was armed with as well. The weapons seemed to work fine, though to say that I was well stocked with ammunition would be a lie. I had about three shells left in each.

In reality, it didn't matter much how well armed I was. I had no Aura, and was more than a little wounded after the crash. Anyone who tried to attack me would more than likely be able to end me before I even knew what was happening.

I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. I felt a little more secure on my feet than I had moments before. Sure enough that I wouldn't topple over as soon as I tried to take a few steps forward.

I slowly started to push my way out of the small patch of non-burning grass I had landed in. Even with my feeling somewhat confident in my ability to support myself and walk, I found that I was stumbling from piece of rubble to piece of rubble, using the broken stone and concrete as a sort of crutch to take as much weight as possible off my legs.

I navigated my way slowly through the rubble, keeping an eye out for anything familiar. Anything that might give me a sign or tell me that either of my two friends were alive somewhere in this mess.

What I found instead was the slumped form of Cinder Fall.

Not too far off, clutching at her stomach which had a blade stabbed through it was someone I had only met briefly. Pyrrha. Blood was seeping from the stab wound rather quickly, and beyond that she looked like she had been held over a fire for more than a few minutes. Her skin was charred and burnt in some places. Her hair was singed at the ends and covered in blood.

Cinder, on the other hand, also wasn't looking to be in all that good of shape. While she didn't look like she'd spent time on a roasting spit, she'd clearly taken some heavy blows in the fight that must've ensued before I arrived. She looked beaten and bruised – one eye looked as though it had been slashed or stabbed, and a few other slash wounds covered her body. She had an arm that was bent at an incredibly odd angle, and didn't seem capable of standing.

However, she did look up right when I came stumbling into the scene. She smiled. "Jaune… Excellent timing…" She muttered out, sounding as though she were in extreme pain. She inclined her head towards Pyrrha's slumped form, feebly clutching at the sword in her abdomen. "Do me a favor… Finish her off and help me up…" She commanded, attempting to sound as though she were in command of the situation.

It was only then that Pyrrha looked up at me. There was a brief moment of recognition before she resigned herself to her fate. Assuming that I would do as Cinder asked, ending her life.

I let my gaze trail over to Cinder once more. I drew one of the two daggers I had sheathed behind my back and stumbled my way over towards Cinder. I crouched down in front of her, doing my best to ignore the screams of pain that were coming from my legs.

She met my gaze, offering up as much of a challenging look as she could muster. "What are you doing… Kill her and help me…" She rasped out, trying to sound rather intimidating.

I glanced down at the knife in hand, looking back to her. "You want to know something, Cinder?" I managed out, my voice barely above a whisper. "I quit."

I reached up with the dagger in hand, bringing it down towards her neck.

Before I was able to make impact, though, I felt a sweeping kick land in my gut, sending me flying back into the same piece of rubble that Pyrrha was leaned up against. The knife I had been holding came tumbling out of my hand, well out of reach.

The impact from the kick, and then slamming back into the stone had my head spinning and my whole-body writhing in pain. I could no longer see straight, with most everything coming up as a blur that was shifting far more than normal.

I didn't need to be able to make out much in terms of details to know who my assailant was.

Mercury Black. At some point during the battle, Cinder or Emerald must've freed him from his confinement in Beacon infirmary, and now here he was. He looked as cocksure as ever, standing next to Cinder.

"My luck just gets better… and better…" Cinder rasped out, sounding somewhat relieved to my ear. "Now, kill them both." She ordered.

Mercury laughed, nodding his head. "With pleasure."

He approached the two of us, frowning thoughtfully as he looked between us, having some sort of internal debate. "Now, which of you to kill first… Hmm, I wonder." He said out loud, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully.

Without warning, he delivered a solid kick straight to Pyrrha's temple with his heel. I heard a sickening crack that I knew all too well as the girl collapsed into a heap over the blade that impaled her. He grinned impishly down at me. "Well, here we are yet again. The mighty Virtuoso, come back to fight me yet again." He delivered a kick right into my side, making me double over in pain, groaning. "What, nothing to say? Not even to your dear old pal Mercury?"

He paused for a brief moment, crouching down, taking a fistful of my hair and yanking it up so that I was looking him dead in the eye. His gaze was flaming, showing the anger that lurked after what I had done to him. "Where's your savior now?" He asked, throwing a punch into my gut. "Huh? Where's your huntsman bodyguard at?" He threw another punch. "I don't see him anywhere, do you?" He threw me back, my head slamming into the concrete behind me.

I groaned, the whole world spinning again. Mercury just spat down into my face as he came to be standing at his full height. "Fucking pathetic."

I could just barely catch a glimpse of him as he wound up a kick. The kick that would end my life, more than likely.

I closed my eyes and braced for the impact; almost morbidly curious what death felt like.

The impact never came.

Instead, there was a loud clang of metal against metal.

"Oh, you can not be fucking serious right now." I heard Mercury growl out.

"What, back for more of what I gave you last time?" The all too familiar drone of Qrow responded.

I opened my eyes, and there he was, stood just off to the side with Mercury's ankle caught in the hook of his scythe.

Mercury snarled. "Why don't you try again? I might like it this time." He said, using his boot's caught position on Qrow's scythe to heave the Huntsman forward. Qrow lost balance for just a brief moment and stumbled. An action that Mercury capitalized on, leaping up into the air and using his free foot to try and deliver a solid kick to Qrow's head.

Qrow recovered quickly from his stumble and ducked into a roll, avoiding the kick altogether and coming to stand and face his opponent once again. Without taking his eyes off Mercury, he spoke to me. "This is twice I've saved your hide from this loser, kid. You owe me. Again."

I grunted in response, unable to form words.

Qrow surged forward, his scythe hanging behind him. Mercury dodged off to one side, avoiding Qrow's charge. Despite that, though, Qrow's attack still landed. While the weapon looked oversized and unwieldy to me, Qrow maneuvered it as though it were a featherweight and had been doing so all his life.

That caught Mercury by surprise as Qrow used the blade to his advantage, heaving the boy forward and into his range while digging into his opponent's Aura reserves.

Mercury, however, wasn't going to stand by and not retaliate. As soon as he was pulled in front of Qrow, he used the flat of Qrow's weapon to his advantage, springing up into the air yet again. This further unbalanced Qrow's hold on the weapon and Mercury abused that. In one swift motion, he brought one leg around, landing the sole of his boot against Qrow's chest. A shotgun blast followed, and Mercury disengaged from his opponent.

Qrow ground his teeth together. "Maybe this will be more fun." He said, a wry smile crossing his lips. Qrow used the space that Mercury had created between them to shift his scythe back into a longsword.

Mercury charged yet again, this time sliding down to the ground for a kick at Qrow's ankles. This led absolutely nowhere as Qrow deftly avoided the oncoming attack, demonstrating his superior speed in comparison to Mercury.

Without hesitation, Qrow brought his blade around, delivering a nice slash across Mercury's back. The boy growled, stumbling forward and spinning to face Qrow once again.

Qrow didn't let up on the assault, coming in close to Mercury's guard. Mercury grinned and returned the favor, stepping into Qrow's guard. Before he was able to deliver a blow to Qrow, the huntsman spat into the younger boy's eyes, briefly stunning and blinding him. Qrow capitalized on that, bringing a knee up into Mercury's crotch.

Mercury, for all his training and pain tolerance groaned and stumbled back. Qrow pressed the advantage farther. He swept his blade down at Mercury's right knee. The blade dug into the thick metal plating, but wasn't enough to cut all the way through it.

Mercury recovered and growled lowly at the huntsman. He dodged backwards, ripping Qrow's blade out of the metal plating on his leg. Instead of taking the offensive again, Mercury fell into a defensive stance, letting Qrow come to him.

Qrow noted this, and rather than charging the boy, he flipped his blade down, revealing a double-barreled shotgun that was part of his blade. He fired off both the shells. The two shells impacted Mercury's chest, sending jolts of electricity through his body and rippling over his Aura.

Mercury grunted, though pushed through the pain and charged at Qrow once again. He went for another aerial kick, this one landing solidly on the side of Qrow's head. Qrow stumbled backwards at that, gritting his teeth.

While the battle had been raging, I managed to deploy the shotgun gauntlet on my left hand. The one that was loaded with explosive rounds. I took aim as best I could, trying to get it to focus on Mercury, but with the world still spinning, that was quite difficult.

I waited for a moment when the two weren't engaged in melee, taking aim at Mercury and firing off a shell. The recoil alone was enough to get me to yelp in pain. While something I can manage with my Aura, without and with everything in as much pain as it is, it makes it damn near unbearable.

Regardless, the shell impacted Mercury's lower back.

Qrow took the advantage again, charging Mercury. The boy reacted a moment too late as Qrow brought his blade around, cutting right into the same slot in Mercury's leg he had before. The force behind the cut was enough, and it cut straight through Mercury's leg.

The boy collapsed down to the ground, suddenly off balance and unable to easily fight back.

Qrow wasn't going to let him have an easy time of it, either. He brought the tip of his longsword down, driving it into Mercury's stomach until his Aura broke. Rather than ending his life there, Qrow bashed the side of Mercury's head with his heel, knocking the boy out once again.

Qrow was breathing heavily, glaring down at his opponent. "Two for two, you little shit." He grumbled out, looking back over to me. Lying next to me in an ever-growing pool of blood was the corpse of Pyrrha. Qrow frowned and shook his head, crouching down to close the girl's eyes at the least.

He turned his attention then to Cinder. The woman was glaring up at Qrow who had managed to defeat her companion.

"Think this is end of the line, missy." He said, eyes hardened into a glare as he approached her.

Cinder didn't respond, still just glaring up at him in return. Even in defeat, she was spiteful and wouldn't give Qrow the satisfaction.

Qrow just huffed. "Have it your way, then." He muttered, bringing his blade down to cut her head clean off.

There was a shimmer before the image of Cinder Fall faded, revealing nothing but empty space where she had once been.

"What the hell…" Qrow questioned, looking down at the spot where Cinder should be.

He turned back to look at me, almost as though he expected me to have either vanished, or to know the answer to the question that was inevitably burning in his head.

Unlike Cinder, though, I hadn't shimmered away into nothingness. I was still sat there, world spinning and feeling damn near unable to move at all.

Qrow sighed, stowing his weapon. He came over to me and knelt down to help me up to my feet. "Come on, kid… Let's get you out of here."

I groaned in pain as he helped me up to my feet. Though, I was thankful that he was there to let me rest my weight against. I wasn't all too sure that I'd be able to walk easily without him taking my weight on.

"How… How'd you know…?" I asked, hoping that he'd get the point of the question I was trying to get out.

He just chuckled. "How stupid do you think I am? I nab you the Ice Queen's military keycard, and you just go off and make copies to sell?" He shook his head. "It wasn't hard to piece together what you were doing. When I saw the ship crash itself into the dragon, I figured I might as well come see if your hide needed saving again." He paused briefly, glancing over to me. "You're welcome, by the way."

I grunted in agreement, trying more than anything else to just ignore the pain that I was in. "Have you seen…" I rasped out, not quite able to finish my question.

He assumed that he knew where I was going. "I haven't. Then again, I only just got here in time to keep your sorry ass from getting killed."

I pursed my lips. "Gotta find them."

Qrow sighed. "Listen, kid. You're in no shape to go off searching for people. You need medical attention pronto. I can get you into Beacon infirmary, and guarantee your safe release once you're patched up." He offered.

I shook my head. "No." I looked over to him, meeting the man's crimson gaze. "We have to." I said with as much finality as I could muster.

He thought for a moment, frowning and shaking his head. "I can't talk you out of this, can I?" I shook my head in response. He just sighed once again. "Alright, fine. We'll go look for your friends."

I managed a smile. "Thanks, Qrow."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Thank me later when you're not dead and can walk on your own." He said, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.

And thus, the two of us went out on a hunt for Roman and Neo who were hopefully alive and somewhere in this scattered rubble.

It didn't take long of Qrow helping me hobble along before we found the familiar form of Roman. The master criminal looked to be unconscious, but alive.

As the two of us got closer, I could confirm that he was, in fact, alive. It seemed that the crash wasn't kind to him, but allowed him to live regardless. There were more than a few gashes and cuts on his body from where shorn metal plating had cut him, or glass of some nature. It was hard to say, but at the least he was still breathing, even if it was rather shallowly.

Qrow knelt down once again to let me get closer to my mentor. He stood up and took up a post a few feet away, keeping watch over the two of us and the surrounding area, just in case of Grimm, likely.

I shook Roman as best I could. "Come on… Wake up, Roman… Wake up, damnit." I muttered as I continued to shake him slightly.

After a few moments the master criminal groaned, trying to shoo me away. I shook him again, and after another moment, his eyes cracked open. He looked up at me for a moment, seeming to not quite piece things together. After it clicked in his head, though he offered me a weak smile. "Definitely the last time I let you be the getaway driver…" He mumbled out.

I laughed slightly, ignoring the pain that lanced through my chest. "Good to see you're okay, Roman."

He nodded, slowly sitting up. "Yeah. You too, kid." He let his gaze track to Qrow who was waiting some distance away. "What's his deal?"

"Don't worry about it. Qrow is a friend." I responded, glancing back over my shoulder to wave the huntsman in question over.

Qrow looked between the two of us. "Well, that's one of two found." He turned his attention onto Roman. "You good to walk?"

Roman frowned, slowly pulling himself up to his feet, though hissing in pain as he tried to put any weight on his right arm. "Yeah… We should be fine here." He said, leaning against a nearby bit of rubble for support.

Qrow nodded, helping me back up to my feet once again. "Last one is your little girlfriend, right?"

I hummed in response.

The three of us continued to hobble our way through the wreckage and fire ridden field that the ship had crashed the Dragon into. I paused, lost in thought for a brief moment before glancing over to Qrow. "Say, Qrow? Did you see the Dragon?"

He rolled his eyes in response. "You'd have to be blind not to see it. Even then, I'm not sure that'd be an excuse."

"Not my point." I muttered. "When we crashed the ship into it. Did you see if we killed it or not?"

Qrow hummed, nodding slowly. "That you did. Fuckin' creature howled into the night once it got impaled on the nose of the ship. Crashing it down into Remnant just sealed the thing's demise." He paused for a brief moment. "Good on you for pulling that off, too."

I nodded in response. It wasn't good – it was a shit idea and a last-ditch effort. One that thankfully worked, but had no real right to.

Roman eventually tapped me on the shoulder, pointing off in the direction of the ship. Just barely, I could make out the telltale signs of pink that stood out defiantly against the backdrop. It was Neo. That was the only person it could be, especially seeing as Atlas doesn't believe in color other than white and gray.

The three of slowly picked our way through the rubble towards the ship. Towards the only sign we had that Neo was present at all.

When we arrived, I felt my heart stop. Time seemed to freeze in place, almost like I had activated my semblance again.

There she was. Or, rather, what remained of her. Neo, the bright, dichromatic assassin with a mean streak a mile wide and twice as deep. The little terror that had even the likes of Junior cowed under her thumb, was without a doubt dead.

While Roman and I had rolled somewhat lucky on the whole ordeal of not getting crushed or burnt by the fallout of the ship ramming into the dragon, a tower, and then the dirt, Neo's dice weren't so kind. Where Roman and I only had to contend with broken bones, and near inoperable muscles, Neo had to contend with a large piece of metal that had sheared off the ship and impaled her through the chest.

She laid there, unmoving and soaking in a pool of blood, unable to cry out or find help. Only able to sit in agony as she slowly bled out, unable to change her fate.

Roman fell down onto his knees at her side, blood soaking into his already ripped, shredded and torn pants. He was muttering something to her that I couldn't hear as he looked down at what had happened to her.

He stayed that way for a moment, as though he were waiting for an answer. When she didn't give him one, he just shook his head and squeezed her limp hand in his own.

The master criminal rose to his feet, wiping away any signs of tears that might have shown in his eyes.

_This is the price you had to pay. You won, but at this cost._ The cold voice of The Virtuoso echoed in my head.

Qrow helped me over and let me down. "I'll give you a minute." He said, taking a step away.

_Everything in life has a price. It's not like the storybooks where the hero wins and they, along with all their friends, live happily ever after._ It pointed out again. _Sacrifices have to be made. Knowingly or not._

I closed my eyes and let out a long, shaky sigh as I felt tears come to my eyes. _She didn't deserve this… She's dead because of me._

_She didn't deserve it._ The voice agreed. _But she chose it. In this world, living as you do, death is an occupational hazard. Roman knows that. Junior knows that. Jack, Paul, Winston, and Jess all knew that. Neo knew it, too. She knew the risks and took the chance anyway._

I let the tears stream silently down my face. I knew that The Virtuoso was right. I know that death is just an occupational hazard. I knew that it could happen to any of us. We weren't special. We didn't get special treatment. Despite that, it didn't make the pill any easier to swallow.

It was more than just Neo, too. Not-Jerry, Jack, Junior, Roman, and everyone else. They all chose to follow me – to trust that I'd be able to navigate this hellscape. They've trusted me with their lives… So, is it not my fault that they've now died?

The Virtuoso didn't respond.

I felt a hand rest gently on my shoulder. I glanced back to see Roman looking down at me. "Come on, Jaune. We should go." He said somberly.

I didn't want to leave. It didn't feel right to just leave her here.

I knew he was right, though. We couldn't just stay here.

I nodded, looking back to Neo.

"I'm sorry." I muttered quietly, even though she couldn't hear me. I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before letting Roman help me up to my feet.

I wiped the tears away, trying to put on a brave face despite how I felt.

Roman looked over to Qrow. "Think you can help us get out of here?"

Qrow inclined his head. "Probably. Though you both should get some medical attention."

"I'd rather do that somewhere I _won't_ have the local population after my head." Roman commented.

Qrow arched a brow. "Isn't that impossible for you?"

"Somewhere I trust the people taking care of me, then."

Qrow shrugged. "I thought you weren't big on trust, but have it your way."

Roman narrowed his eyes, though Qrow ignored it. "I can get the both of you out by Bullhead. Without the CCT up to track them, they'd never know the difference of one being gone longer than normal."

I nodded. "Then do it."

"Right. I'll just commandeer one off the landing pad, fly it over to the crashed warship in the courtyard and _then_ fly it out into Vale. Not suspicious at all." He said with more than a little sarcasm dripping from his words.

I glared at him. "Then what was the point of bringing up a Bullhead?"

He rolled his eyes. "Have some faith in me, will you? What happened to being buddy buddy?"

I shook my head. "I have faith, Qrow, I just don't…" I sighed. "If you can manage it, just do it. Please."

Qrow clapped his hands together. "Well, since you asked so nicely. I'll be back shortly." He said, taking off at a light jog through the courtyard.

Roman and I stumbled and hobbled our way away from the sickening reminder of what this victory had cost us. We weren't wandering with any real direction until we found the unconscious form of Mercury, missing a leg that had been left lying in the dirt a few feet away from the boy.

I looked over to Pyrrha, still hunched over the sword that had been driven through her gut. She got caught up in this – in something a whole lot bigger than she was. Just like me, she'd been wrapped up in this story, somehow. The difference being that I got to live in the end.

"She got away." I muttered, letting myself lean off of Roman and onto the rubble that I had been thrown against by Mercury.

"What do you mean?" He asked, inclining his head slightly.

"Cinder. We had her pinned and beat. Half dead, no Aura, nothing." I laughed bitterly, wincing as pain laced through my body. "And then, when Qrow went to end it, poof. Gone. Shimmered away into nothing."

Roman hummed, nodding slowly. "So, the mad queen lives to see another day." I nodded in return. He took a moment, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he slid down against the rubble that Cinder had been leaning against. "Well, at the very least we protected Vale… I doubt she got what she wanted if this invasion was her plan. An invasion that's hopefully been stopped dead in its tracks."

I drummed my fingers against my knee. "Maybe, but she's still out there… She was able to organize something like this once, who's to say she won't do it again?"

"She very well might." He looked over to me as the dull sound of a Bullhead's rotors started closing in. "And if she does, who better to handle it than us? We stopped her once, we can do it again."

I hummed, glancing up to see the Bullhead swinging down for a landing nearby.

It was a long fight. It was a hard one.

But, in the end, we came out on top.

It was time to let someone else fight. At least, for now.

[End]

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**Ladies and gentlemen, this is the end of Criminally Good.**

**I sincerely thank you all for checking out this story. What started as a haphazard idea I came up with one day on a whim turned into this. While I wouldn't call Criminally Good the best story, I can say that I'm proud of what it became. Thanks to each and every last one of you who read, reviewed, followed and favorited this story, I was given the motivation to keep on going here. What I thought was going to be a small story that didn't get much attention kinda blew up out of left field, and you guys all seemed to love it. So again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for taking the time to get here. It means the world to me.**

**With that said, on to the reviews.**

**cbustrroyer - Eh, I never liked the idea of Atlas' firepower being able to destroy the Grimm dragon. It's a one of a kind thing we've never seen, so meh. So the dragon is wonky. I'd say it's around half-maiden power level. So like Cinder had half the maiden powers, she'd be able to duel the dragon and win if she played smart and well. I dunno, it's hard to gauge that without being given hard facts on it, I guess.**

**Dragon Lord Draco - Well, huh. I didn't know that. I just assumed it was a dragon and called it good. Never really bothered to look it up on the RWBY wiki. Well, Jaune _did_ make it, but others didn't.**

**X3 - And you put the pieces together, somewhat. Cinder was in the tower. That's why she was so wounded, and same goes for why Pyrrha wasn't completely incinerated into a pile of ash. And I didn't put much detail into who it was that shot the moron, so if you want to picture it being Ciel, go for it.**

**Engineer - Jaune did take a big gamble, but one that paid off big time. He got lucky, really. As for Cinder, well, she got out thanks to our friend Emerald and her semblance. As for Ozzy, well, he's not in a good way. A lot of his support base is dead, and a load of blame is likely headed straight for him.**

**Dsarcas - Glad you enjoyed my man.**

**Reeseracer - Ah, yes. Edge of the seats means I'm doing my job well. Fantastic.**

**Azrael Saint - That it is, my friend. That it is.**

**Azetlor the Collector - The battleship ram indeed.**

**2 AM Guest - Hey man, I always like internet cookies. Cookies that are nonrefundable now that they've been given to me.**

**Dddd - One card left to play, indeed.**

**Dino Guy - Dead dragon indeed. Jaune's gambit worked, miraculously.**

**Agent of the Divine One - It has been a wild ride. One I quite enjoyed writing for y'all.**

**AtomicR4y - CG is now over. Well, mostly. See below for details on that.**

**Knight Galavant - I have the mass.**

**Glover - Curious indeed. More info on stuff like that below.**

**Two Headed Snake - It is a Warhammer thing to do. It's just a load of fun, really.**

**Cloud Link Zero - It would be amusing, but try as I might, I couldn't find a good way to fit it in well. I am super proud of what this story has become over the months that I've been writing it, as well as all of the support its gotten.**

**State of Pure Caffeine - Listen man. I saw the opportunity and I took it.**

**And that is all for reviews.**

**So, as I'm sure you're all aware, there are more than a few hanging plot threads that I just couldn't really squeeze in here, or just kinda forgot about because I'm a big dummy. So, that said, while this is the end of Criminally Good and the main thread as I planned it, I've got a number of hanging threads to handle. The woes of writing a story that grew beyond what I had planned.**

**There will be an epilogue chapter or two that come at a later date. I am not going to make them a top priority, but they'll be somewhere on the burners and will be posted once I'm happy with what I've got and how I've handled the hanging and loose threads that I ignored / forgot about.**

**And another thing. If you liked CG, or at the least liked my writing style, I'm starting up another story here in a week or two called Helljumper. It's grounded in RWBY's world, but takes a lot of influence from the Halo universe. If that sounds interesting to you, the prologue is up now.**

**Anyway.**

**Till next time, this is Valres signing off.**


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